Ran Zhou, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering

Purdue University Northwest

2200 169th Street, Powers Building 211K. Hammond, IN 46323-2094

Phone: 219-989-2338

Email: zhou970@pnw.edu

https://www.pnw.edu/people/ran-zhou-ph-d/


Research Interests

MEMS, Thermofluids, Microscale heat and mass transport, Microfluidics, Lab on chip, Micro/nano- sensor, Microfabrication

Academic Appointment

08/2018- present Assistant Professor. Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Purdue University Northwest. Hammond, IN 46323.

2017-2018 Postdoctoral Researcher. Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago. Chicago, IL 60607.

Education

Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology. Rolla, MO

M.S. Refrigeration and Cryogenic Engineering, Shandong University. Jinan, China

B.S. Thermal Energy and Power Engineering, Shandong University. Jinan, China

B.B.A. Accounting, Shandong University. Jinan, China(


Journal Publication

  1. Zhou, R., Surendran, A.N., Wang, J. (2021) Fabrication and Characteristic Study on Mixing Enhancement of a Magnetofluidic Mixer. Sensors and Actuators: A. Physical. Accepted. IF: 3.410

  2. Surendran, A.N., Zhou, R. and Lin, Y., (2021). Microfluidic Devices for Magnetic Separation of Biological Particles: A Review. ASME Journal of Medical Devices, 15(2).

  3. Zhou, R. and Surendran, A.N.,(2020). Study on micromagnets induced local wavy mixing in a microfluidic channel. Applied Physics Letters, 117(13), p.132408. IF: 3.597

  4. Zhou, R., Surendran, A., Mejulu, M., Lin, Y. (2020). Rapid microfluidic mixer based on ferrofluid and integrated microscale NdFeB-PDMS magnet. Micromachine, 2020, 11(1), 29. IF: 2.495

  5. Zhou, R., Parra, M., Surendran, A. (2020) A Low-Cost, High-Resolution Fabrication Method for a Microfluidic Device. International Journal of Engineering Research and Innovation V11, N2.

  6. Lin, Y., Gao, Y., Wu, M., Zhou, R., Chung, D., Caraveo, G., & Xu, J. (2019). Acoustofluidic stick-and-play micropump built on foil for single-cell trapping. Lab on a Chip, 19(18), 3045-3053. IF: 6.914

  7. Zhang, J., Zhou, R., Wang, C. (2019) Dynamics of a pair of ellipsoidal microparticles under a uniform magnetic field. Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, 29(10), 104002. IF: 2.437

  8. Lin, Y., Zhou, R., & Xu, J. (2018). Superhydrophobic Surfaces Based on Fractal and Hierarchical Microstructures Using Two‐Photon Polymerization: Toward Flexible Superhydrophobic Films. Advanced Materials Interfaces, 1801126. IF: 4.834

  9. Lin, Y., Gao, C., Gritsenko, D., Zhou, R., & Xu, J. (2018). Soft lithography based on photolithography and two-photon polymerization. Microfluidics and Nanofluidics, 22(9), 97. IF: 2.437

  10. Zhou, R., Sobecki, C., Zhang, J., Zhang, Y., Wang, C. (2017). Magnetic control of lateral migration of ellipsoidal micro-particles in microscale flows. Physical Review Applied, 8(2), 024019. IF: 4.532

  11. Bai, F., He, X., Yang, X., Zhou, R., Wang, C. (2017). Three dimensional numerical simulations of droplet formation using phase-field method. International Journal of Multiphase Flow, 93, 130-134. IF: 2.509

  12. Zhou, R., Bai, F., Wang, C. (2016). Magnetic separation of microparticles by shape. Lab on a Chip, 17 (3), 401-406. IF: 6.914

  13. Zhou, R., Wang, C. (2016). Fabrication and integration of microscale permanent magnets for particle separation in microfluidics. Microfluidics and Nanofluidics, 20(7), 110. IF: 2.437

  14. Zhou, R., Wang, C. (2016). Multiphase ferrofluid flows for micro-particle focusing and separation. Biomicrofluidics, 10(3), 034101. IF: 2.531

  15. Zhou, R., Wang, C. (2016). Microfluidic separation of magnetic particles with soft magnetic microstructures. Microfluidics and Nanofluidics, 20(3), 48. IF: 2.437

  16. Zhou, R., Wang, C. (2015). (Cover Page) Acoustic bubble enhanced pinched flow fractionation for microparticle separation. Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, 25(8), 084005. IF: 2.437

  17. Zhang, Z., Zhou, R., P Brames, D., Wang, C. (2015). A Low-Cost Fabrication System for Manufacturing Soft-Lithography Microfluidic Master Molds. Micro and Nanosystems, 7(1), 4-12.

  18. Zhang T., Han, J., Yan, S., Yu, Z., Zhou, R. (2014). The analysis and testing of thermal performance on solar evacuated tube. Journal of Shandong University, 44 (4), 76-83.

  19. Zhou, R., Han, J., Yu, Z. (2013). Thermodynamic Analysis of a New CCHP System Based on Solar Kalina Cycle. Chinese Journal of Refrigeration Technology, 3, 13-15.

  20. Zhou, R., Han, J., (2013). EES (Engineering Equation Solver) Simulation for Thermodynamic Properties of Organic Rankine Cycle System. Journal of Refrigeration Technology, 48(1), 10-14.

  21. Zhou, R., Han, J., Yu, Z. (2013). CCHP Technology Simulation in Green Buildings. Shandong Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, 2013(1), 7-10.

Conference Proceedings/Presentation

  1. R Zhou, AN Surendran. Numerical Study of Ferrofluid Mixing in A Double-Layer Magnetic Micromixer. Proceedings of the 2020 COMSOL Conference

  2. Surendran, A., Zhou, R. Active high-throughput micromixer using injected magnetic mixture underneath microfluidic channel. ASME 2020 18th International Conference for International Conference on Nanochannels, Microchannels and Minichannels (ICNMM2020). Orlando, FL.

  3. Zhou, R., Mejulu, M. Rapid mixing utilizing microscale magnets based on microfluidics device. 72nd Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics (2019). Seattle, Washington.

  4. Zhou, R. (2019) A low-cost manufacturing method for microfluidic device based on soft-lithography technique. 2nd International Microfluidics Congress. Las Vegas, USA.

  5. Zhou, R., Wang, C. (2017). Separation of different-shaped micro-particles with external uniform magnetic field. 2017 Ozark Biomedical Initiative Research Symposium. Rolla, MO.

  6. Behdani, B., Zhou, R., Wang, C., Park, J. (2017). Microscale Acoustic Streaming Flows in Viscoelastic Fluids: Comparison of Experiment and Simulation. AIChE Annual Meeting 2017. Minneapolis, MN.

  7. Zhou, R., Wang, C. (2016). Focusing and Separating Diamagnetic Particles with Multiphase Ferrofluids. International Conference of Microfluidics, Nanofluidics and Lab-on-a-Chip (ICMFLOC-2016). Dalian, China.

  8. Zhou, R., Wang, C. (2016). Fabrication and optimization of microscale magnetic structures for magnetic particle separation. (ICMFLOC-2016). Dalian, China.

  9. Wang, C., Zhou, R. (2016). Shape-based separation of microparticles with magnetic fields. APS Division of Fluid Dynamics (Fall) 2016. Portland, Oregon.

  10. Zhou, R., Wang, C. (2015). Multiphase ferrofluid flows for micro-particle sorting. APS Division of Fluid Dynamics (Fall) 2015. Boston, Massachusetts.

  11. Zhou, R., Wang, C. (2015). Acoustic bubble enhanced pinched flow fractionation for microparticle separation. Center for Biomedical Science and Engineering (CBSE) Research Symposium. Rolla, MO.

Awards

Current

  1. NSF GOALI Co-Principal Investigator. (2021-2024)

  2. NSF CMMI MRI Principal Investigator. (2019-2022)

  3. NSF MRI Grants Co-Principal Investigator. (2019-2022)

  4. Exploratory Research Grant at Purdue University Northwest (2021-2022)


Completed

  1. CES Advisory Committee Scholarship Awards at Purdue University Northwest (2020)

  2. Purdue University PRF Summer Faculty Research Grant (2019)

  3. Catalyst Research Grant at Purdue University Northwest (2018-2020)

  4. Proposal Submission Research Grant at Purdue University Northwest (2018-2020)

  5. College of Engineering and Computing Dean’s PhD Scholar. Missouri University of Science and Technology. (2017)

  6. Travel Grants from the 68th Annual Meeting of the American Physical Society's Division of Fluid Dynamics (DFD) (2015)

Events

1. Guest Editor of ‘Microfluidic Sensors’ for Scientific Journal Micromachine

2. Reviewer Board for Scientific Journal Micromachine

3. Guest Editor: Journal of Frontiers in Mechanical Engineering (Topic: Micromixers and Microfluidic Mixing)

4. Session Chair: The 3rd International Conference of Microfluidics, Nanofluidics and Lab-on-a-Chip ICMFLOC 2020 (Symposium 7: Optofluidics, Acoustic Fluidics, and Magnetic Fluidics). Shenzhen, China.

5. Session Chair: 2020 AISTech The Iron & Steel Technology MPPATC. Cleveland, OH.

Courses

ENGR19000 Elementary Engineering Design

ME 31200 Fluid Mechanics

ME 316000 General Thermodynamics II

ME 59700 Intermediate Fluid Dynamics

ME 59700 Introduction to Microfluidics

Sponsor Agency