Abstract: Conventional particle engineering follows a fragmented workflow: milligram‑scale discovery in bench reactors, followed by a complete process redesign for kilogram‑scale manufacturing. This hand‑off (“tech transfer”) is slow, expensive, and frequently compromises the very attributes that made the original particles attractive. We present an integrated, microfluidic “foundry” that collapses discovery and manufacturing into a single, continuously scalable platform. Microfluidics offers precise control over the synthesis of nano- and microparticles, enabling systematic tuning of their size, morphology, and composition. Yet wider adoption has been hampered by surface fouling, low throughput, and reproducibility challenges. In this presentation, I will describe our recent efforts to overcome these barriers by combining automated, AI-augmented control with surface lubrication and scalable microfluidic architectures. Our platform couples real-time, image-based feedback with adjustable flow conditions to reliably generate a range of droplet-based structures—including emulsions, capsules, and lipid nanoparticles—at high throughput and with excellent reproducibility. As a representative example, I will discuss gas-encapsulating microcapsules (GEMs), which release their contents in response to hydrostatic pressure. These structures show how microfluidics can accelerate the development of functional particles whose performance is guided by mechanical modeling and bio-inspired design. I will also outline how parallelization and surface-lubrication strategies enable a seamless transition from laboratory-scale discovery to scalable manufacturing. Together, these efforts highlight microfluidics as a versatile platform for designing and producing functional particulate systems with applications in drug delivery, soft robotics, and environmental sensing. Time permitting, I will briefly introduce our newly established NSF AI-driven RNA BioFoundry, which aims to democratize RNA technology.
Bio: Daeyeon Lee is the Russell Pearce and Elizabeth Crimian Heuer Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. He received his BS in Chemical Engineering from Seoul National University and his PhD in Chemical Engineering from MIT. His research explores the interactions of soft materials at interfaces, with the goal of developing innovative processes and structures with applications in healthcare and environmental sustainability. He has been recognized for excellence in research with several awards, including the 2010 Victor K. LaMer Award, an NSF CAREER Award, the 2013 3M Nontenured Faculty Award, the 2013 AIChE NSEF Young Investigator Award, the 2014 Unilever Award for Young Investigators in Colloid and Surface Science, the 2017 Soft Matter Lectureship Award, and the 2023 Outstanding Achievement Award in Nanoscience. He has also been acknowledged for his contributions to education with awards such as the Penn CBE Distinguished Teaching Awards and the 2017 S. Reid Warren, Jr. Award, and he held the Evan C. Thompson Endowed Term Chair for Excellence in Teaching from 2020 to 2023. Since 2024, Daeyeon has served as Director of the NSF Artificial Intelligence-Driven RNA BioFoundry (AIRFoundry), an open-access platform that integrates artificial intelligence, automation and microfluidics to advance RNA design, synthesis, and delivery for a broad range of applications.