Engineering nanoporous transducers for advanced biosensing

We are pleased to welcome MOBIUS Theme Lead (Manufacturing), Professor Nicolas Voelcker (Monash University), who will present ‘From pores to performance: Engineering nanoporous transducers for advanced biosensing‘ on Tuesday 14 July 2026, 1-2pm AEST.

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Abstract

The talk will describe a bit of a journey:

  • How I started during my postdoc to work on an optical biosensor project not by design but by serendipity.
  • How this shaped part of my research program as an early career research academic.
  • How developing expertise in a particular nanostructured material (mainly porous silicon) allowed me to branch into other aspects of biosensor technology (electrochemical and mass spectrometry based transducers) and synergies with biomaterials and drug delivery.
  • How engagement with some funding programs (Cooperative Research Centres (CRC), CSIRO, Australian Research Council (ARC) Industrial Transformation Training Centres) established particular applications (wound healing, microRNA and virus detection) and translation of biosensor technology through industry engagement; whilst other funding programs (mainly ARC) helped me to develop fundamental aspects of the transducer surfaces.
  • Towards the end, I will provide some examples of my recent focus on wearable transducer technology.
  • I will finish by highlighting how the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication (MCN) is supporting translational research in biosensors, and in particular wearables.
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Chair

Professor Conor Hogan, La Trobe University.

About the speaker

Professor Nicolas Voelcker is the Director of the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication (MCN) and Professor at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Monash University and ARC Laureate Fellow. The core research activity in his laboratory is the study of silicon-based nanostructures at biointerfaces.

Following from this more fundamental research drive, his focus is on the application of nanostructured materials in point-of-care and wearable biosensors, nanoparticle-based drug delivery, nanowire-based gene delivery as well as in regenerative medicine. Tissue-barrier-on-chip technology developed in his lab supports the design of his nanoparticle systems.

He has authored over 570 peer-reviewed journal articles with over 31,000 citations, h-index 85, and has filed over 50 patents. He has received fellowships from the German Research Foundation (DFG), the CSIRO and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

He has served on the College of Experts of the Australian Research Council, is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, a winner of a Humboldt Research Award and a current Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow. IP generated from his research has led to five start-up companies in the areas of cell therapy, drug delivery and diagnostics.

As Director of the MCN, he is overseeing the largest joint venture in the Australian university system, and is supporting over 30 companies in their commercialisation endeavours.