Kai Hoettges

Dr. Kai Hoettges is a Lecturer at the University of Liverpool, specializing in biomedical engineering and microfluidic technologies. His research focuses on developing tools for life science experiments in microgravity environments, diagnostics, and tissue engineering. He co-founded companies like DEPtech and PhenuTest to commercialize his work. He holds a PhD in microfluidic devices from the University of Surrey and has extensive experience in dielectrophoresis (DEP) for cell characterization and separation. His current projects include the MicroAge mission on the International Space Station and lab-on-a-chip platforms for medical diagnostics. He teaches instrumentation and semiconductor design courses at the University of Liverpool.

Research Interests: Microgravity experiments, bioreactors, dielectrophoresis, lab-on-a-chip technologies, and antibiotic susceptibility testing.

Grants:

• MicroAge II: Mitochondria as Key Regulators of Muscle Mass in Microgravity and during Ageing (UK Space Agency, 2023-2026)
• Development of the UK study for the ESA FLUMIAS project (UK Space Agency, 2022-2027)

Teaching: Coordinates final-year projects (ELEC340) and teaches instrumentation (ELEC207), semiconductor design (ELEC372/472), and integrated circuits.

Labs/Teams: Leads projects in microgravity bioreactors and collaborates with the MicroAge team for space-based experiments.