Guillermo Villanueva

Guillermo Villanueva is an Associate Professor at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland, affiliated with multiple departments including the Mechanical Engineering Institute (IGM), the School of Engineering (STI), and serving as Head of Section in SGM Administration. He leads the Advanced Nano-electromechanical Systems Laboratory (NEMS) and is actively involved in teaching across various programs including SMT and SGM.

Dr. Villanueva received his educational background from Spanish institutions: a PhD in Microelectronic Engineering from CNM-IMB-CSIC/UAB (2002-2006), an MSc in Finite Element Modelling from UNED (2005), an MSc in Microelectronic Engineering from UAB (2002-2004), and an MSc in Physics from Zaragoza (1998-2002). Prior to his position at EPFL, he was a Marie Curie post-doctoral scholar at DTU (Denmark) and Caltech (California, US), and a post-doc at EPFL-LMIS1.

His research focuses on MEMS/NEMS with expertise spanning design, analysis, fabrication and characterization of sensors, oscillators, and systems involving nonlinear and coupled dynamics, as well as fundamental noise processes. Dr. Villanueva has been active in these fields since the start of his PhD in 2002, with a particular emphasis on the practical applicability of nanomechanical systems.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong trend toward advanced materials for NEMS applications, particularly lithium niobate for acoustic resonators, hafnium oxide for flexoelectric devices, and innovative approaches to microfluidic systems with applications in biomedical engineering and energy harvesting. His work bridges fundamental nanomechanics with practical device implementation, with increasing focus on integration with photonic systems.

Dr. Villanueva has co-authored more than 100 papers in peer-reviewed journals and more than 130 contributions to international conferences. He serves as editor in chief of the Physical Sensors section of MDPI Sensors and has been active in the organization of major conferences including MNE2014, SNC2015, Transducers 2019 short courses, and the 16th International Workshop on Nanomechanical Sensors (NMC2019).

As a dedicated educator and academic leader, Dr. Villanueva serves on the PhD program committee for Microsystems and microelectronics and contributes significantly to curriculum development. His laboratory, the Advanced Nano-electromechanical Systems Laboratory, continues to push the boundaries of nanomechanical sensing and actuation technologies.