David Erickson

David Erickson is the SC Thomas Sze Director and Sibley College Professor at Cornell University's Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He also holds a joint professorship in the Division of Nutritional Sciences. His research focuses on global health technologies, medical diagnostics, microfluidics, photonics, nanotechnology, and energy systems. He previously served as Associate Dean of Engineering for Research and Graduate Programs. Erickson leads the NIH-funded PORTENT Center for Point-of-Care Technologies in Global Health and has co-founded companies like Dimensional Energy and VitaScan to commercialize diagnostic and energy technologies.

Education:

• B.Sc., Mechanical Engineering, University of Alberta (1999)
• M.A.Sc., Mechanical Engineering, University of Toronto (2001)
• Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, University of Toronto (2004)
• Postdoctoral Scholar, Electrical Engineering, California Institute of Technology (2005)

Research Interests: Erickson’s work spans global health diagnostics, nanobio applications, and clean energy innovation. He develops portable medical devices for low-resource settings, including smartphone-integrated diagnostic tools for malaria, iron deficiency, and cancer. His lab also pioneers photothermal reactors for CO2 conversion into sustainable fuels. Key areas include:

• Point-of-care testing for infectious diseases and nutritional deficiencies
• Nanofluidic and optofluidic technologies for biomolecular analysis
• Solar-driven energy systems for carbon-neutral fuels

Awards:

• Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (2011)
• Fellowships from the Optical Society, ASME, and Canadian Academy of Engineering
• Carbon X-Prize Finalist (2019) for Dimensional Energy’s CO2-to-fuel technology

Grants & Industry Collaboration: Erickson’s research is funded by NIH, NSF, ARPA-E, DOE, and USAID. His lab’s innovations have spun off start-ups addressing global health and energy challenges. Notable projects include:
- Portable cancer diagnostics in sub-Saharan Africa using mobile phone-based systems
- Solar-powered CO2 conversion reactors tested in Wyoming and Arizona

Labs & Teams: The Erickson Lab collaborates with the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability and the McGovern Center for Entrepreneurship. Key initiatives include the PORTENT Center and the Dimensional Energy CO2-to-fuel project.