Umut Gurkan

Umut Gurkan is the Wilbert J. Austin Professor of Engineering in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Case Western Reserve University, with a secondary appointment in Biomedical Engineering. As leader of the CASE Biomanufacturing and Microfabrication Laboratory, his research focuses on microcirculation, vascular biology, and point-of-care diagnostics for blood disorders and infectious diseases.

Key research areas:

• Microfluidic systems for sickle cell disease diagnosis
• Red blood cell adhesion mechanisms
• Global healthcare accessibility through portable diagnostics

He co-founded Hemex Health Inc. and BioChip Labs Inc., commercializing technologies like the Gazelle Hb Variant test. Awards include the NSF CAREER Award, MIT Innovator under 35, and Wiederhielm Award (2023).