Dr. Carolyn Ren, a professor in our department, leads the À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ Microfluidics Laboratory, a place where students at all levels can contribute to the research and development of innovative technologies that improve lives.   Â
Ren has an entrepreneurial mind, and this is proven by the fact that she has co-founded four startups and holds nine active patents. Her lab, the À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ Microfluidics Lab (WML), focuses on using the precise control of fluids at the microscale.  Â
Her latest venture was founded in 2020 with former student, Run Ze Gao, who completed his PhD in the lab in 2023. The company, named Air Microfluidics, specializes in improving compression therapy for both athletic and medical use. The team is already working to get the technology commercialized with their industry partner, CAIR, a Dutch startup that is working on medically approved wearable devices that treat lymphedema, a condition involving the swelling of the limbs and affecting many breast cancer survivors.  Â
Plus, a spin-off company, founded by Ren and a few alumni, Caleb Horst (BASc ‘02, MASc ‘04) and Jordan Savage (BASc ‘22, MASc ‘24), is creating activewear that offers built-in compression massage capabilities for sports recovery.  Â
Learn more about the innovative research and entrepreneurship happening in the lab by ±¹¾±²õ¾±³Ù¾±²Ô²µÌý"Starting businesses from research for real-world impact" in À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ News.Â