Dr. Majid E. Warkiani is a Professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Advanced Biosciences and Bioengineering Research Center (ABSBERC) at the American University of Sharjah (AUS), UAE. He received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Nanyang Technological University (NTU, Singapore) under the prestigious A*STAR SINGA scholarship and completed postdoctoral training at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, USA). Dr. Warkiani’s research lies at the intersection of microfluidics, bioengineering, and translational medicine, with a strong focus on developing clinically impactful technologies. His work spans four key areas:

(i) Inertial Microfluidic systems for label-free isolation and analysis of rare cells, including circulating tumor cells (CTCs), fetal cells, and stem cells, enabling next-generation diagnostics and precision oncology;
(ii) Organ-on-a-chip and microphysiological systems to model complex tissue environments (e.g., lung- and tumor-on-chip) for drug screening and disease modeling;
(iii) Reproductive bioengineering and IVF technologies, where he develops biomimetic microfluidic platforms for advanced sperm selection and assisted reproduction; and
(iv) Exosome engineering and longevity science, focusing on extracellular vesicles and bioengineered nanocarriers for regenerative medicine, skin longevity, and targeted therapeutic delivery. His research is strongly translation-driven, bridging fundamental engineering with real-world clinical and commercial applications in cancer diagnostics, reproductive health, and longevity medicine.
Web of Science Researcher ID: AAK-7467-2020
ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-4184-1944
Google scholar: Link

Selected Honors/Awards 

• Royan International ward (2025)
• PIFI-CAS Award (2024)
• Young Tall Poppy Award (2019)
• NHMRC Career Development Fellowship (2017)
• Nanyang Outstanding Young Alumni Award (2016)
• MIT TR35 young investigator, Asia-Pacific Region (2016)
• Fresh Science Program, Australia (2015)
• Students’ Design Gold Award, Biomedical Engineering Society, Singapore, (2014)
• Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) Fellowship (2013)
• Best student paper award at AMN-APLOC 2011, 5-7 January, Singapore
• Best research proposal award at NanoMemCourse 2010 at Netherlands
• A*STAR scholarship for PhD study at NTU (2009)​

Research Grants

1. Australian Research Council (DP-CIB) ($505,000) for development of a new generation of microfluidic system for extracellular delivery, 2020-2023
2. NHMRC-Development Grant (CIB) ($760,000) Genome-Wide Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing based on Circulating Trophoblastic Fetal Cells, 2020-2023
3. Sydney Vital Cancer Grant (2X) ($20,000) for development novel 3D cancer models and intracellular delivery systems, 2019 and 2020
4. Innovation Connection Grant (Lead CI) ($100,000) for continuous manufacturing and harvesting of MSCs and secreted exosomes using inertial microfluidics, 2018-2019
5. Regional Collaborations Programme grant, Australian Academy of Science (CI-B) ($100,000) for design and development of a novel miniaturised sensor for explosive detection in airports, 2019
6. Australia-China Joint Research Centre (JRC), (CI-C), ($936,000) for development of novel point-of-care diagnostic devices, 2019-2020
7. Australian Research Council (DP- Lead CI) ($373,000) for studying physics of inertial microfluidics and its application in bioprocessing, 2018-2020
8. NHMRC-Career Development Fellowship ($431,000) for design and development of a novel tumor-on-a-chip system, 2018-2021
9. Australian Research Council (LIEF-CI-D) ($435,000) for purchasing microfabrication devices for development of portable and wearable sensors, 2018-2019
10. Australian Research Council (LIEF-CI-C) ($600,000) for purchasing a new high-resolution confocal microscope for single molecule microscopy, 2018-2029
11. Cancer Australia (CI-D) ($650,000) for analysis of Circulating Tumour Cells and its clinical application in head and neck cancers, 2018-2020
12. Australian Research Council (DP- Lead CI) ($285,000) for design and development of a low-cost microfluidic system for blood fractionation, 2017-2019
13. UTS competitive ECR grant (Lead CI) ($40,000) for development of a novel cancer filtration device, 2018
14. UNSW competitive ECR grant (Lead CI) ($60,000) for development of novel single cell analysis systems, 2016-2017
15. SMART Innovation Grant (CI-B) ($150,000) for design and development of a new mini-perfusion system for cell culture, 2015-2016
16. UNSW competitive ECR grant (Lead CI) ($56,000) for development of new microfluidic co-culture systems. 2014-2015
17. UNSW competitive MRIEE grant (CI-E) ($111,000) for purchase of 3D bioplotter, 2015
18. UNSW competitive ECR grant (CI-C) ($40,000) for development of microfluidic systems for petroleum research, 2014-2015
19. UNSW MME seed funding (lead CI) ($70,000) for purchase of 1 Wax 3D printer and a UV lithography equipment, 2016
20. NUS tier-1 Grant (CI-B) ($140,000) for development a novel microfiltration platform for blood salvage, 2013-2015
21. SMART Fellowship (sole CI) ($260,000) for development of a high throughput inertial cell sorter, 2013-2014
22. SMART Ignition Grant (Lead CI) ($50,000) for development of a clog-free separation system for mammalian cell retention from perfusion bioreactors, 2013-2014

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