Dan Luo

Role and Affiliation: Dan Luo is a Professor in the Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering at Cornell University, part of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He leads the Luo Lab, focusing on nucleic acid-based materials and their applications in diagnostics, pharmaceutics, and environmental engineering.

Education:

• Ph.D., The Ohio State University (1997)
• Bachelor of Science, University of Science and Technology of China (1989)

Research Interests:

• Engineering DNA and RNA into generic materials (e.g., DNA gels, nanostructures) for biomedical, environmental, and industrial applications.
• Development of sustainable biomaterials from biomass nucleic acids to reduce petrochemical reliance.
• Diagnostic platforms using DNA-based nanotechnology for rapid, low-cost disease detection.

Articles Trends: Recent work emphasizes DNA materials for point-of-care diagnostics, cancer theranostics, and sustainable materials. Key themes include programmable nanomachines, microRNA-based assays, and biodegradable plastics derived from biomass.

Awards & Grants:

• Cornell Outstanding Educator (2015)
• Bezos Earth Fund Award (2025) for AI-driven climate solutions
• Cornell China Center Grant (2021) for collaborative research

Advising & Grants: Supervises research on nucleic acid hydrogels and nanobiotechnology. Secured grants totaling over $140K for China-Cornell collaborations and $1.5M via the Bezos Earth Fund. Courses taught include BEE 3801 (Nanobiotechnology) and BEE 7600 (Nucleic Acid Engineering).

Labs & Teams: The Luo Lab collaborates globally on projects like DNA-based tracers for hydrological studies and biofunctional architectural materials. Partnerships include the Cornell China Center and the Lab of Ornithology for interdisciplinary projects.