Researcher Bios

Igor Paprotny is with the University of Illinois Chicago, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering. He is the Faculty Research Director of the UIC Nanotechnology Core Facility, and consortium lead of the Air Microfluidic and Bio-surveillance Group (AMFBG). Prior to his appointment at UIC, Dr. Paprotny was a research scientist and lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley. He received his PhD in computer science from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, an MS and BS in industrial engineering from Arizona State University, and an Engineering Diploma in mechatronics from NKI College of Engineering, Oslo, Norway. He advises doctoral, master’s, and undergraduate students who are working on a variety of problems related to micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS), air-microfluidics, and airborne pathogen sensing. He has published five book chapters, more than 60 papers in journals and conference proceedings, and hold six patents. His expertise is in the design, modeling, and fabrication of mechatronic and air-microfluidic devices based on nano- and microfabrication technologies.

Michael Caffrey is with the University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics.  For the last 25 years Dr. Caffrey has studied the entry of viruses into cells, including Ebola, HIV, influenza, SARS-CoV and more recently on detection of airborne viruses with Dr. Paprotny.

Margaret Sietsema is with the University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Public Health. Dr. Seiestema’s research expertise include exposure assessment and transport of airborne pathogens.

Han Liu is with the Northwestern University, Department of Computer Science, Department of Data Science and Statistics.  Dr Liu’s research integrates modern artificial intelligence and computer systems, which exploits AI-enabled massive computational experiments to revolutionize science and engineering

Rebecca Lee Smith is with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Pathobiology; Carle-Illinois College of Medicine, Department of Biomedical Translational Science.  Dr. Smith has worked extensively in surveillance and control of pathogens in livestock systems as well as the environment.

Ralu Divan is a chemist with the Argonne National Laboratory, Center for Nanoscale Materials. She has micro- and nano fabrication expertise, with more than 30 years of experience in materials, processes, and device integration. She developed and ran international projects in LIGA technology, silicon, germanium, metal, and glass micromachining for micromechanics and micro-optics. She has published close to 160 papers in journals and conference proceedings, holds two patents, and is a recipient of an R&D 100 Award. Her expertise is in the area of development of high-resolution, high-aspect-ratio lithographic processes by development of etching and growth processes for advanced micro- and nano-devices, characterizing chemical and lithographic properties of materials, synthesis of nanoparticles and their use in micro-nanodevices, characterizing interfacial and compatibility properties of materials used in MEMS and NEMS, and development of membrane-based devices.