Elisabeth Smela

Elisabeth Smela is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park, with affiliations to Materials Science and Engineering, the Maryland Robotics Center, the Brain and Behavior Institute, the Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices, and the Electrical and Computer Engineering department.

Research Interests:

• Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) with organic materials (polymers, cells)
• Cell-based sensors for pathogens and explosives
• Conjugated polymer actuators (artificial muscles)
• Tactile sensing skins for robotics and cancer detection
• Dielectrophoresis for cell manipulation
• Lab-on-a-chip and microfluidic systems

Scientific Awards:

• NSF PECASE (2004) and CAREER (2003) awards
• UMD Outstanding Invention (2004) and Kent Teaching Award (2004)
• DuPont Young Professor Award (2003)
• Danish Research Councils Talent Project award (1998)

She has supervised PhD students like Roy Anderson and Redwan Haider, and Master's students including Luke Bernota and Allison Hiller, focusing on projects such as "BioNose on a chip" and wearable "Smart Bra" for breast cancer detection. Her lab develops technologies like dielectrophoretic sorters, micro-origami actuators, and long-period Bragg grating sensors.