Peter B. Lillehoj

Peter B. Lillehoj is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Rice University, holding the Shankle Chair. He is affiliated with the School of Engineering and the Institute for Biosciences and Bioengineering. His research focuses on developing microfluidic and BioMEMS technologies for medical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and global health, with a particular emphasis on wearable biosensors and point-of-care devices.

Dr. Lillehoj earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University (2006) and M.S./Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from UCLA (2008/2011). Before joining Rice in 2020, he was a faculty member at Michigan State University (2012–2019). His honors include the NSF CAREER Award (2014), IEEE New Innovator in NANOMED Award (2019), and Wellcome Trust Innovator Award (2019). He has secured grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Science Foundation.

His research spans interdisciplinary areas such as microfluidic cytometry, wearable diagnostics, and CRISPR-based sensing. Recent advancements include AI-enabled microfluidic devices, microneedle-based sampling systems, and magneto-immunoassays for Chagas disease. His lab’s innovations aim to create low-cost, user-friendly diagnostic tools for global health challenges.

• Awards: NSF CAREER, IEEE New Innovator, Wellcome Trust Innovator
• Grants: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, NSF
• Labs/Teams: Lillehoj Research Group (Rice) and collaborations with bioengineering teams

Dr. Lillehoj’s work bridges mechanical engineering with biomedical applications, emphasizing practical solutions for healthcare accessibility and environmental monitoring. His publications focus on translating lab-based technologies into scalable point-of-care systems.