Robert (Robin) Gorkin
Robert (Robin) Gorkin
Ph.D. Student, 2nd Year
Dept: Biomedical Engineering
Research: CD Microfluidics, Neural C-MEMS
Career Goals: BioMEMS Research in Academia/Industry
e-mail: rgorkin@uci.edu
OBJECTIVES: I endeavor to further my understanding of biomedical engineering for applications in research and practical experience for career development. My goals include working in cutting edge BioMEMS research either in industry or in an academic setting. I hope to be involved with startup companies and possibly build my own.
EDUCATION
•Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering – expected graduation Spring 2010
•M.S. in Biomedical Engineering – Spring 2006
University of California – Irvine Ca
•B.S. in Engineering Physics – April 2004
University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh, PA
Graduated cum laude, 2nd in class
Engineering Scholarship
MANUFACTURING / MICROFABRICATION SKILLS
Metal/Plastic machiningPhotolithographyOxygen Plasma
CNC machiningSoft Lithography
CD fabricationE-beam Deposition
COMPUTER PROGRAMING / SOFTWARE SKILLS
Solidworks, AutoCAD, MatLab, C++, SignGo, IsoPro, Adobe Illustrator, Microsoft Office
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
•Jan 2007 and Ongoing, Microfluidic system for point-of-care diagnosis of GBS, Professor Marc Madou, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering – UCI . Working on a CD platform for the rapid detection of low sample GBS in clinical settings. Involved in prototyping several aspects of the final system including cell lysis, DNA purification and extraction, DNA elution and optical detection.
•March 2006 and Ongoing, Neural CMEMS - Professor Marc Madou, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering- UCI. Working on culturing neurons on CMEMS substrates to create electrode platforms to study dynamic neural networks. Additional work was done on the CD platform to investigate applications for stressed neurite growth.
•September 2005 to March 2006, Neural Microfluidics, Professor Noo Li Jeon, Biomedical Engineering – UCI. Worked on a soft photolithography setup in the lab to make microfluidic devices for BioMEMS applications, additionally investigated creating and testing electrode based microfluidic devices for neuronal applications.
ACEDAMIA EXPERIENCE
•Winter 2007 and Ongoing, Student/Faculty Representative, graduate student rep to faculty meetings.
•Summer 2005 and Ongoing, BioMEMS Cleanroom / BION Labs Setup, Lead graduate student in charge of setting up class 1000 BioMEMS Cleanroom in Cal-IT2 building at UCI. Involved in design layout, budgeting, equipment research and purchase, vendor orientation, and coordination of building engineering, EH&S, and faculty. Expected to open to users in the summer of 2007. Also involved in the creation of the Biological Organic and Nano Processes (BION) facility expected to open in 2008.
•Fall 2006, Teaching Assistant , TA for Biomechanics BME 110A under Professor Ali Mirnajafi – UCI
INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE
•November 2004 to August 2005, Contract Biochemist – Merck and Co., Inc. West Point, PA. I assisted the Automated Biotechnology Department in carrying out high throughput screening (HTS) of its compound libraries. My responsibilities included reformatting compounds from low to high density format; creating multiple replicates of the compound library in high-density format for miniaturized assays; programming and operating laboratory automation systems and various IT activities.
UNDERGRADUATE EXPERIENCE
•June 2003 to August 2004, Senior Thesis “Micro-Patterning Arrays of Neurons and Glial cells.” –Investigating growing micron-sized patterns of neurons and glial cells using documented and innovative techniques. Involved in microfabrication and cell culturing experiments. Advisor – Professor Xiao-Lun Wu, Physics and Astronomy
•June 2003 to April 2004, Quantum Spin Research. Worked under Professor Jeremy Levy, Physics and Astronomy, Director of the Center for Oxide-Semiconductor Materials for Quantum Computation (COSMQC), Lab reorganization, creating search engine for all lab equipment and materials, worked on a frequency locking box for investigation of quantum spins.
•Fall 2000, Study Abroad Experience. Received Provost’s Scholarship Participated in study abroad with the University of Newcastle in Newcastle, Australia. Classes included Materials Science, Physics, and Humanities.
AWARDS
•UC Irvine Biomedical Engineering Graduate Transition Fellowship
PUBLICATIONS / CONFERENCES / PRESENTATIONS
•Summer 2007 – Poster - Darpa MF3 MEMS / NEMS S&T Fundamentals All Center Review Meeting
“Solid Phase DNA Extraction using Column on a Disk”
OTHER
•2005 – Present, BMES member – current Vice President
RELATED COURSES
Graduate
Advanced Mathematics for Engineers, Numerical Methods and Analysis, Quantitative Physiology – Sensory Motor Systems and Organ Transport Systems, Cell and Tissue Engineering, BioMEMS, Micro-Implants, Cellular Biotechnology at the Micro and Nano-Scale, Systems Neuroscience, Molecular Neuroscience, Fundamentals of Microfabrication
Undergraduate
General Physics; General Chemistry; Calculus; Linear Circuits; Introduction to Materials; Analysis and Design of Electronic Circuits; Electronics Laboratory; Materials Science; Materials Laboratory; Wave Motion and Optics; Semiconductor Device Theory; Mechanics; Matrices and Differential Equations; Complex Variables and Applications; Intermediate Electricity and Magnetism; Fields and Waves; Energetics; Electronic Properties of Materials; Modern Physics, Quantum Mechanics
Collaborators
Université Laval Dr. Tarun Kanti Bhattacharyya & Dr. Suman Chakraborty at IIT-Kharagpur
