Evangelyn C. Alocilja

Evangelyn C. Alocilja is a Professor in the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering at Michigan State University's College of Engineering. She serves as the founding program director of the Nano-Biosensors Lab, a faculty fellow in entrepreneurship at the Eli Broad College of Business, and founder of the Global Alliance for Rapid Diagnostics (GARD). Her work focuses on developing affordable, rapid diagnostic technologies with applications across public health, homeland security, and food safety sectors.

Dr. Alocilja's research interests center on nanostructured biosensors for the rapid diagnosis of infectious disease agents. Her work spans electrochemical and optical sensing platforms using antibodies, DNA fragments, and biomimetic receptors as biological sensing elements. Key application areas include tuberculosis detection, foodborne pathogen identification, water quality monitoring, and anti-counterfeiting technologies. Her lab has developed a 10-cent tuberculosis test that delivers results in 10-20 minutes with 95%-99% accuracy, demonstrating her commitment to creating solutions accessible in resource-limited settings.

Her recent publications reveal a strong focus on PCR-less DNA biosensors, magnetic nanoparticle-based detection systems, and blockchain-integrated anti-counterfeiting technologies. These works demonstrate consistent innovation in simplifying diagnostic processes while maintaining accuracy, with particular attention to field-deployable solutions that can operate outside traditional laboratory settings.

Dr. Alocilja's scientific achievements have been recognized through numerous awards:

• 2016 Undergraduate Research Faculty Mentor of the Year at Michigan State University
• Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors (2024)
• Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
• Fellow of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE)

She actively mentors a diverse team of graduate students, undergraduate researchers, and visiting scholars in her Nano-Biosensors Lab. Her research has attracted significant grant funding, including a $769,000 USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant for developing biosensors for food safety in poultry. Through the Global Alliance for Rapid Diagnostics, she has created an international network focused on improving global health through accessible diagnostic technologies.

Dr. Alocilja's lab specializes in the synthesis and application of various nanomaterials including gold nanoparticles, magnetic nanoparticles, electrically active nanoparticles, and polyaniline nanowires for biosensing and antimicrobial applications. Her team's work bridges engineering, biology, and public health to create practical solutions for real-world diagnostic challenges.