STAFF PROFILE
Distinguished Professor Leslie Yeo
Position:
Professor
College / Portfolio:
School of Engineering
School / Department:
Chemical and Environmental Engineering
Phone:
99252596
Email:
leslie.yeo@rmit.edu.au
Campus:
Melbourne City Campus
Contact me about:
Research supervision
Leslie is a Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering and Director of the Micro/Nanomedical Research Centre.
Prior to joining RMIT, he was a Mathematical Modeller at Det Norske Veritas UK and a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Notre Dame, USA, after which he held a faculty position at Monash University. He was the recipient of both the Australian Research Fellowship and Future Fellowship from the Australian Research Council from 2009 to 2017. Leslie is best known for his work on acoustically-driven microfluidics and is the Editor-in-Chief of the American Institute of Physics journal Biomicrofluidics.Accomplishments and achievements
- 2019: RMIT University Distinguished Professorship – Awarded in recognition of sustained, outstanding research performance
- 2018: RMIT University Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Research Excellence – Awarded in recognition of an individual researcher who has achieved the highest level of excellence in their research activity for the preceding five years
- 2016: Johnson & Johnson World Without Disease Quickfire Challenge Award – Awarded for game-changing, early-stage innovation in the therapeutics, consumer, health technologies and medical device sectors
- 2015: RMIT University Innovation Excellence Award – Awarded in recognition of demonstrated excellence by academics in bringing innovation to their research activity in the preceding five years
- 2013-2017: Future Fellowship Level 3 – Awarded by the Australian Research Council to outstanding Australian and international mid-career researchers to promote research in areas of critical national importance.
- 2010: Eureka Prize for Early Career Research Finalist – Awarded by the Australian Museum for outstanding achievements in Australian research & innovation, science leadership, school science and science journalism & communication
- 2009-2013: Australian Research Fellowship (ARF) – Awarded by the Australian Research Council to postdoctoral researchers of exceptional promise to undertake research in Australia of national and international significance
- 2009: Monash University Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Research by an Early Career Researcher – Awarded in recognition of research excellence by an early career researcher within ten years of the start of their research careers
- 2009: Monash University Faculty of Engineering Early Career Researcher Award – Awarded in recognition of research excellence by an early career researcher within ten years of the start of their research careers
- 2008: Eureka Prize People’s Choice Award Finalist – Awarded by the Australian Museum for outstanding achievements in Australian science and science promotion/communication
- 2007: Young Tall Poppy Science Award – Awarded by the Australian Institute of Policy & Science in recognition of the achievements of outstanding young researchers in science
- 2007: Fresh Science Finalist – For new and interesting research being done by early-career scientists in Australia
- 2002: Dudley Newitt Prize - Awarded by Imperial College London for theoretical/computational PhD thesis of outstanding merit
- 1999-2001: University of London Knight Studentship in Science & Engineering – Awarded by the University of London for support of doctoral studies
- 1998-2001: Overseas Research Scholarship (ORS) – Awarded by the UK Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals for support of doctoral studies
- 2000: Society of Chemical Industry Messel Fund Bursary – Travel subsidy to the International Symposium on Multi-Phase Flow and Transport Phenomena in Antalya, Turkey
- 1999: Imperial College London Beit Fellowship (declined in lieu of Knight Studentship) – Awarded by Imperial College London in support of doctoral studies
- 1998: Henry Sawistowski Travel Fellowship – Awarded by Imperial College London in recognition of best undergraduate industrial link and research project
Selected Media Releases
- Hybrid Sound Wave a ‘Game-Changer’ for Vaccines and Nebulisers. The Australian, 7 January 2016.
- A Sound Idea for Treating Lung Disease. Chemistry World, 8 December 2015 (Royal Society of Chemistry).
- Micro-motor Developed to Treat Strokes. ABC News, 24 July 2012 (Australian Broadcasting Corporation).
- Delivering Medicines, ABC Catalyst (Special Edition: Little Wonders – Medical Nanotechnology), Broadcast date: 25 August 2011 (Australian Broadcasting Corporation).
- Microfluidics Streamlines Laboratory Operations, SPIE (International Society for Optical Engineering) Newsroom, 7 December 2010.
- Sound-Blasting Chips for On-the-Spot Forensics, New Scientist, 24 May 2010.
- Jet Stream, Nature Research Highlights 23 July 2009, Nature 460, 439 (2009).
- Squirting Water Without a Gun, Physical Review Focus, 13 July 2009 (American Physical Society).
- Physics of Pizza Tossing for Micro-Motors, Europhysics News, Vol 40, No 4, July-August 2009 (European Physical Society).
- Earthquake on a Wafer Could Boost Asthma Relief, New Scientist, 28 May 2009.
- Drug Delivery’s a Blast, Chemical Technology, 15 May 2009 (Royal Society of Chemistry).
- If Research is Your Cup of Tea, this Eureka Moment will Stir the Blood, The Age, 16 August 2008.
- Eureka Prize People’s Choice Award, ABC Catalyst, Broadcast date: 14 August 2008 (Australian Broadcasting Corporation).
More information
- Personal website: http://www.leslieyeo.net
Leslie’s current research interests are in acoustically and electrokinetically driven microfluidics for engineering and biological applications such as drug delivery and nanomedicine, point-of-care diagnostics, tissue engineering and biosensor technology.
- 2002: PhD (Chemical Engineering), DIC – Imperial College London
- 1998: MEng (Chemical Engineering), ACGI – Imperial College London
Professional activities
- Editor-in-Chief, Biomicrofluidics (American Institute of Physics)
- Editorial Board Member, Scientific Reports (Nature Publishing Group)
- Editorial Board Member, Interfacial Phenomena & Heat Transfer (Begell House)
- Chair - Journal Editor Search Committee for APL Bioengineering (American Institute of Physics)
- Research Evaluation Committee Member – Australian Research Council Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) 2015
- Assistant Chair – National Health & Medical Research Council Grant Review Panel (2014)
- Technical Review Panel Member – Science & Engineering Research Council, Agency for Science, Technology & Research Singapore (A*STAR) (2014)
- Grant Review Panel Member - National Health & Medical Research Council Development Grants (2016-2017)
- Cheng, K.,Alhasan, L.,Rezk, A.,Al-Abboodi, A.,Doran, P.,Yeo, L.,Chan, P. (2020). Fast three-dimensional micropatterning of PC12 cells in rapidly crosslinked hydrogel scaffolds using ultrasonic standing waves In: Biofabrication, 12, 1 - 12
- Ju, Y.,Jugo, C.,Chen, J.,Yeo, L., et al, . (2020). Engineering of Nebulized Metal�Phenolic Capsules for Controlled Pulmonary Deposition In: Advanced Science, 7, 1 - 13
- Sudeepthi, A.,Yeo, L.,Sen, A. (2020). Cassie-Wenzel wetting transition on nanostructured superhydrophobic surfaces induced by surface acoustic waves In: Applied Physics Letters, 116, 1 - 5
- Kwok, P.,McDonnell, A.,Tang, P.,Knight, C.,Yeo, L, et al,., . (2020). In vivo deposition study of a new generation nebuliser utilising hybrid resonant acoustic (HYDRA) technology In: International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 580, 1 - 7
- Marqus, S.,Lee, L.,Istivan, T.,Chang, R.,Dekiwadia, C.,Chan, H.,Yeo, L. (2020). High Frequency Acoustic Nebulization for Pulmonary Delivery of Antibiotic Alternatives Against Staphylococcus aureus In: European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 151, 181 - 188
- Akther, A.,Marqus, S.,Rezk, A.,Yeo, L. (2020). Submicron Particle and Cell Concentration in a Closed Chamber Surface Acoustic Wave Microcentrifuge In: Analytical Chemistry, 92, 10024 - 10032
- Wong, K.,Lim, W.,Ooi, C.,Yeo, L.,Tan, M. (2020). In situ generation of plasma-activated aerosols via surface acoustic wave nebulization for portable spray-based surface bacterial inactivation In: Lab on a Chip, 20, 1856 - 1868
- Ahmed, H.,Yang, C.,Ehrnst, Y.,Jeorje, N.,Marqus, S.,Sherrell, P.,Ghazaly, A.,Rosen, J.,Rezk, A.,Yeo, L. (2020). Ultrafast assembly of swordlike Cu3(1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate): Nmetal-organic framework crystals with exposed active metal sites In: Nanoscale Horizons, 5, 1050 - 1057
- Rezk, A.,Ahmed, H.,Brain, T.,Oliveira Almeida Camara Castro, J.,Tan, M.,Langley, J.,Cox, N.,Mondal, J.,Li, W.,Ashokkumar, M.,Yeo, L. (2020). Free Radical Generation from High-Frequency Electromechanical Dissociation of Pure Water In: Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 11, 4655 - 4661
- August Ambattu, L.,Ramesan, S.,Dekiwadia, C.,Hanssen, E.,Li, H.,Yeo, L. (2020). High frequency acoustic cell stimulation promotes exosome generation regulated by a calcium-dependent mechanism In: Communications Biology, 3, 1 - 9
- Mechanisms and Platforms for Acoustomicrofluidic Intracellular Delivery. Funded by: ARC Discovery Projects 2021 from (2021 to 2024)
- Super Resolution Live Imaging Facility (administered by University of Melbourne). Funded by: ARC LIEF via other University from (2020 to 2020)
- Acoustomicrofluidic platforms for two-dimensional materials processing. Funded by: ARC Discovery Projects 2018 from (2018 to 2020)
- Inhaled therapeutics for the treatment of childhood Tuberculosis with a next generation nebulisation platform. Funded by: Rebecca Cooper Medical Research Foundation Grant 2017 from (2018 to 2021)
- Nebulised Nano-therapeutics for the treatment of drug resistant Tuberculosis. (Grant number 414953790). Funded by: ATSE Global Connections Fund Bridging Grant 2016 onwards from (2018 to 2019)
Note: Supervision projects since 2004
5 PhD Completions and 2 Masters by Research Completions8 PhD Current Supervisions and 1 Masters by Research Current Supervisions
Microfluidics, Acoustics, Electrokinetics, Fluid Mechanics, Interfacial transport phenomena, Colloids, Drug delivery, point-of-care diagnostics.