Leslie Yeo

Distinguished Professor Leslie Yeo

Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering

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Profile photo of Leslie Yeo smiling towards the camera against a solid white background. Leslie is wearing a blue shirt.

Contact details

STEM | School of Engineering


Micro Nano Research Laboratory


Emailleslie.yeo@rmit.edu.au


Phone: +61 39925 2596


Campus: Melbourne City


Programs

More information

Profile photo of Leslie Yeo smiling towards the camera against a solid white background. Leslie is wearing a blue shirt.

Contact details

STEM | School of Engineering


Micro Nano Research Laboratory


Emailleslie.yeo@rmit.edu.au


Phone: +61 39925 2596


Campus: Melbourne City


Programs

More information

Leslie is a scientist and engineer with a passion for the discovery and elucidation of novel physicochemical phenomena, and their translation into practical technology for real world applications.

Overview

Leslie received his PhD from Imperial College London in 2002, for which he was awarded the Dudley Newitt prize for a computational/theoretical thesis of outstanding merit. 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 commenced a faculty position at Monash University. In addition, he has also held the Australian Research Fellowship and Australian Research Council Future Fellowship from 2009 to 2017.

Leslie was the recipient of the 2007 Young Tall Poppy Science Award from the Australian Institute for Policy & Science ‘in recognition of the achievements of outstanding young researchers in the sciences including physical, biomedical, applied sciences, engineering and technology’, both the Dean’s and Vice-Chancellor’s awards for excellence in early career research at Monash University, and the Vice-Chancellor’s award for research excellence as well as the university’s award for research innovation at RMIT. His work on microfluidics has been featured widely in the media, for example, on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s science television program Catalyst, 3RRR and SBS radio broadcasts, and in various articles in The Economist, New Scientist and The Washington Times, in addition to being highlighted in Nature and Science.

Leslie is co-author of the book Electrokinetically Driven Microfluidics & Nanofluidics (Cambridge University Press), and the author of over 250 research publications and 25 patent applications. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the American Institute of Physics journal Biomicrofluidics and an editorial board member of Interfacial Phenomena & Heat Transfer, Frontiers in Bioengineering & Biotechnology, Biosensors and Micro.

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Industry experience

Atmospheric Dispersion Modelling (Det Norske Veritas UK)

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Research

Besides uncovering and clarifying new fundamental physicochemical microscale and nanoscale phenomena, Leslie’s current research interests are centered around the development of acoustomicrofluidic technologies for diverse applications. These applications span nanomedicine and drug delivery, biosensing and point-of-care diagnostics, biomaterials and tissue engineering, and the synthesis and electronic manipulation of novel nanomaterials.

Research keywords

Microfluidics, Acoustics, Nanomaterials, Drug and gene delivery, Sonochemistry, Mechanobiology

Research output summary

250+

Publications

$15 million

Funding

16

Awards

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Supervisor interest areas

  • Engineering (chemical, mechanical, electrical/electronic, materials)
  • Science (physics, chemistry, biology)
  • Biotechnology
  • Nanotechnology
  • Pharmaceutical science

Supervisor projects

  • Acoustomicrofluidic synthesis and manipulation of bulk (e.g., (metal-organic frameworks) and 2D crystals (e.g., transition metal dichalcogenides and MXenes)
  • High frequency mechanobiology for drug delivery and tissue engineering applications
  • Acoustomicrofluidic technologies for point-of-care diagnostics and drug/gene delivery
  • Acoustically-driven microfluidic extensional rheometry for tear and male fertility diagnostics
  • Biomimetic nasal model for personalised screening of inhaled therapeutics

Feature publications

Acoustomicrofluidic Assembly of Oriented and Simultaneously Activated Metal–Organic Frameworks

Nature Communications 10, 2282

H Ahmed, AR Rezk, JJ Richardson, LK Macreadie, R Babarao, ELH Mayes, L Lee, LY Yeo. (2019).

HYbriD Resonant Acoustics (HYDRA)

Advanced Materials 28, 1970–1975.

AR Rezk, JK Tan, LY Yeo. (2016).

Unique Fingering Instabilities and Soliton-Like Wave Propagation in Thin Acoustowetting Films

Nature Communications 3, 1167

AR Rezk, O Manor, JR Friend, LY Yeo. (2012).

Key publications by year

LY Yeo, RV Craster, OK Matar (2003). Marangoni Instability of a Thin Liquid Film Resting on a Locally Heated Horizontal Wall. Physical Review E 67, 056315. 

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Awards


RMIT University Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Research Excellence

Award date: 2018

Recipients: Leslie Yeo

Johnson & Johnson World Without Disease Quickfire Challenge Award

Award date: 2016

Recipients: Leslie Yeo

Young Tall Poppy Science Award

Award date: 2007

Recipients: Leslie Yeo

Key awards by year

  • RMIT University Science, Technology, Engineering & Medicine College Research Impact Award

  • RMIT University Distinguished Professorship 

  • RMIT University Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Research Excellence

  • Australian Research Council Future Fellowship Level 3

  • Johnson & Johnson World Without Disease Quickfire Challenge Award
  • Australian Research Council Future Fellowship Level 3

  • RMIT University Innovation Excellence Award
  • Australian Research Council Future Fellowship Level 3

  • Australian Research Council Future Fellowship Level 3

  • Australian Research Council Future Fellowship Level 3

  • Australian Research Council Future Fellowship Level 3

  • Australian Research Council Future Fellowship Level 3

  • Australian Research Council Future Fellowship Level 3

  • Australian Research Council Future Fellowship Level 3
  • Monash University Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Research by Early Career Researchers
  • Monash University Faculty of Engineering Early Career Researcher Award

  • Eureka Prize People’s Choice Award Finalist

  • Young Tall Poppy Science Award
  • Fresh Science Award

  •  Dudley Newitt Prize

  • University of London Knight Studentship in Science & Engineering
  • Overseas Research Scholarship

  • University of London Knight Studentship in Science & Engineering
  • Overseas Research Scholarship
  • Society of Chemical Industry Messel Fund Bursary

  • University of London Knight Studentship in Science & Engineering
  • Overseas Research Scholarship
  • Imperial College London Beit Fellowship

  • Overseas Research Scholarship
  • Henry Sawistowski Travel Fellowship
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Grants

  • 2021–2023: Australian Research Council Discovery Project DP210101720, Mechanisms and Platforms for Acoustomicrofluidic Intracellular Delivery (L Yeo, C Conn) AUS$450,000.
  • 2021: Nebuliser Development and Licence Agreement (L Yeo) approx. AUS$2,000,000 (upfront payments) + AUS$1,138,000 (research contract)
  • 2020–2022: National Health & Medical Research Council Development Grant 1172192, ADMiER: A Novel, Point-of-Care Device to Diagnose and Subtype Dry Eye Disease (L Downie, L Yeo, D Kelly, H St John) AUS$758,290.
  • 2020: Academia Sinica Innovative Materials and Analytical Technology Exploration Program AS-iMATE-109-12, Live Cell Imaging to Investigate Surface Acoustic Wave Intracellular Protein Delivery (K-H Lin, LY Yeo) NTD3,000,000.
  • 2020: Australian Research Council Linkage, Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities Grant LE200100163, Live Cell Super Resolution Imaging Facility (F Caruso, C Porter, F Cavalieri, C Pouton, I Yarovsky, S Kent, A Johnston, C Cortez-Jugo, N O’Brien-Simpson, Hinde, L Yeo, S Ellis, A Wise) AUS$700,000.
  • 2018–2020: Australian Research Council Discovery Project DP180102110, Acoustomicrofluidic Platforms for Two-Dimensional Materials Processing (L Yeo, A Rezk) AUS$352,607.
  • 2018: Diabetes Australia, New Strategy for Managing Diabetic Retinopathy—Evaluation of Somatostatin Microparticles (T Thrimawithana, S Young, C Valery, N Osman, L Yeo, U Rai) AUS$20,000.
  • 2017–2019: Australian Research Council Discovery Project DP170101061, Hybrid Resonant Acoustics—New Paradigm for Microfluidic Materials Synthesis (L Yeo) AUS$300,000.
  • 2017–2019: Department of Industry, Innovation & Science (Australian Government) —Accelerating Commercialisation Grant, Prototype Nebuliser Development using a Novel Medical Aerosol Generator (L Yeo) AUS$601,883.
  • 2016–2017: National Health & Medical Research Council Development Grant 1112870, Low-Cost Portable Inhalation Therapy Platform for Needle-Free DNA-Based Influenza Vaccination (L Yeo, A Hurt, D Piedrafita, D Morton) AUS$524,644.
  • 2016: Johnson & Johnson World Without Disease Quickfire Challenge, Inhaled Lung Cancer Therapeutics (L Yeo, B Solomon) US$500,000.
  • 2016: Victorian State Government Victoria–Israel Feasibility and Proof of Concept Scheme, Novel Intranasal Delivery Platform for Treating Neurodegenerative Diseases (L Yeo, J Sznitman, J Nicolazzo) AUS$100,000.
  • 2016: Australian Research Council Linkage, Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities Grant LE160100228, Low Temperature Co-Fired Ceramic Device Fabrication Facility (Y Li, A Mitchell, L Yeo, M Heimlich, A Parker, K Esselle, A Kouzani, S Haswell, W Rowe, O Kavehei, X Zhu, M Mohammed) AUS$400,000.
  • 2014–2017: Australian Research Council Linkage Project LP140100416, Putting an End to Hospital-Borne Infection with Micronebulisation of Lung-Safe Disinfectants (LY Yeo, N Pollard) AUS$326,000.
  • 2014–2016: Australian Research Council Discovery Project DP140100805, Acoustowetting: Microscale and Nanoscale Liquid Manipulation for Microfluidic Applications (L Yeo, X Zhang, O Manor) AUS$410,000.
  • 2013–2017: Australian Research Council Future Fellowship Level 3 FT130100672, Microscale microRNA Detection and Delivery for Effective Point-of-Care Cancer Screening and Therapeutics (L Yeo) AUS$989,144.
  • 2012: Australian Research Council Linkage, Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities Grant LE120100004, Thin Film Processing Cluster: Precise Synthesis and Nano-Patterning of Functional Coatings (A Mitchell, DG McCulloch, JR Friend, K Kalantar-Zadeh, LY Yeo, D Li, S Sriram, M Bhaskaran, DN Neshev) AUS$470,000.
  • 2011–2013: National Health & Medical Research Council Project Grant 1003806, Postnatal Macrophages for Organ Growth and Repair (S Ricardo, I Bertoncello, J Friend, L Yeo, S Miller) AUS$522,957.
  • 2011: Australian Research Council Linkage, Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities Grant LE110100100, Biophysical Surface Characterisation Facility (AI Mechler, JR Friend, MA Anderson, MD Hulett, CF Hogan, PJ Pigram, LY Yeo) AUS$250,000.
  • 2010–2013: Australian Research Council Special Research Initiative – Research in Bionic Vision Science and Technology SR1000006, Direct Stimulation of the Visual Cortex: A Flexible Strategy for Restoring High-Acuity Pattern Vision (A Lowery, M Rosa, J Rosenfeld, R Rajan, J Friend, K Smith-Miles, L Kleeman, L Yeo, J Forsythe, B Adler, J Rood, A Hall, N Karmarkar, LW Ho, E Saunders, E Harvey) AUS$8,000,000.
  • 2010–2012: Australian Research Council Discovery Project DP1092955, Opto-Microfluidics: A Rapid and Sensitive Platform for Biological Diagnostics (Leslie Y Yeo, Paul R Stoddart, Hsueh-Chia Chang) AUS$290,000.
  • 2010–2011: National Health & Medical Research Council Development Grant 1000513, The RespireTM System: Portable Pulmonary Delivery Platform for Rapid, Flexible and Highly Efficient Treatment of Elderly, Paediatric and Physically-Compromised Patients with Chronic Respiratory Diseases (Leslie Yeo, James Friend, David Morton, Michelle McIntosh, Els Meeusen) AUS$464,000.
  • 2010: Australian Research Council Linkage, Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities Grant LE100100215, Molecular Spectroscopic 2D and 3D Imaging Systems at Sub-Micron Spatial Resolution (Paul R Stoddart, Sally L McArthur, Donald McNaughton, Alan M Bond, Brian M Cooke, Lisandra L Martin, Leslie Y Yeo, Sharath Sriram, Gorgi Kostovski, Bayden R Wood, John Beardall, Yosry S Morsi, Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh, Arnan Mitchell, Christopher C Berndt) AUS$350,000.
  • 2010: Australian Research Council Linkage, Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities Grant LE100100108, Ultra-High Frequency Non-Contact Vibrometry Equipment for Biomicrofluidics Metrology (James R Friend, Adam I Mechler, Leslie Y Yeo) AUS$175,000.
  • 2010: Defence Science & Technology Organisation (DSTO), Department of Defence, Emerging Microfluidic Technologies (Leslie Y Yeo) AUS$70,000
  • 2009–2013: Australian Research Council Discovery Project DP0985253, Electrohydrodynamically-Driven Microcentrifugation for Microfluidic Applications (Leslie Y Yeo) AUS$650,000.
  • 2009: National Health and Medical Research Council Development Grant 546238, The NanoNautilus: A Breakthrough in the Successful Treatment of Strokes and Other Cerebrovascular Diseases (James Friend, Bernard Yan, Leslie Yeo) AUS$183,313.
  • 2008: Australian Nanotechnology Network, Workshop on Bio/Micro/Nanofluidics, Complex Flows and Rheology (LY Yeo, RP Jagadeeshan, JR Friend) AUS$5,730.
  • 2008–2010: Research Support for Counter Terrorism, Department of the Prime Minister & Cabinet, Miniaturized Sensor Device for Rapid Detection of Biological Warfare Agents (LY Yeo, JR Friend, MI Aguilar) AUS$1,993,000.
  • 2008: CASS Foundation Science/Medicine Grant, A Microrobot for Three-Dimensional Navigation of Neural Vasculature for Enabling Treatment of Stroke, Arteriovenous Formations, and other Neural disorders (James Friend, Leslie Yeo) AUS$44,000.
  • 2007–2009: Nanotechnology Victoria, Development of a Portable Device for Pulmonary Insulin Delivery (James Friend, Leslie Yeo) AUS$711,000.
  • 2006: Collier Charitable Grant Scheme, Finite Element Modelling of Electrohydrodynamically-Induced Surface Vortices (Leslie Y Yeo) AUS$4,000.
  • 2006–2008: Australian Research Council Discovery Project DP0666549, Characterisation and Stability of Electrowetting Films (Leslie Y Yeo) AUS$180,000.
  • 2006–2008: Australian Research Council Discovery Project DP0666660, Feasibility Studies of Using AC Electrospraying for Biomaterials Synthesis (Leslie Y Yeo, Andrew J Ruys) AUS$260,000.
  • 2006: Australian Research Council Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment & Facilities Grant LE0668435, Biomedical Engineering Sensing and Imaging Facility (T Sridhar, WP Anderson, F Caruso, K Hourigan, JF Bertram, JR Friend, IS Harper, LY Yeo, RG Evans, GM Forde, HC Parkington, RP Jagadeeshan, BJ Oldfield, J Carberry, J Pearson, J Sheridan, MC Thompson, KA Gross, GG Qiao, R Wetherbee) AUS$2,500,000.
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Public and media engagements

2021

2020

2019

2016

2015

2012

2011

  • Interviewed at Delivering Medicines, ABC Catalyst (Special Edition: Little Wonders – Medical Nanotechnology). Television Broadcast: 25 August 2011 (Australian Broadcasting Corporation).

2010

2009

2008

2007

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Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Luwaytini' by Mark Cleaver, Palawa.

aboriginal flag
torres strait flag

Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business.