Speaker: Prof. Xiangkun (Elvis) Cao,
Prof. Xu Liu
Webinar time：Apr. 13th 2026 (Monday), 10:00
Venue：Room 231, New Environmental Building
Inviter：Lizhi Zhang, Chengliang Mao
Optofluidics for human and planetary health {Xiangkun (Elvis) Cao}:
The simultaneous and precise delivery of light and fluids is in high demand across many scenarios. In this presentation, I will introduce several compelling examples of the synergistic use of light and fluid technologies from the perspectives of human health and planetary health. When applying optofluidics to human health, I focus on the interaction of light and matter at the nanoscale to achieve ultrasensitive quantitative analysis of analytes. The key innovation lies in the use of advanced photonics methods for in-situ monitoring and visualisation of microfluidic migration and interactions. When applying optofluidics to planetary health, I will use solar-driven fuel production for decarbonising transportation systems as an example, focusing on enhancing the transfer of light, heat, and matter at the macroscale to achieve highly efficient solar-driven devices. The key innovation lies in designing multifunctional photon-guiding structures that can simultaneously serve as phonon and molecular guiding elements. I will also discuss the synergistic effects of technology, commercialisation, and policy.
Engineering Ionic Transport to Enable Next-Generation Soft Machines (Xu Liu):
The defining characteristic of biological systems is their ability to seamlessly integrate energy, information, and intelligence within soft matter. My research aims to replicate this bio-synthetic integration by engineering ionic transport in soft machines, bridging the gap between rigid machines and living systems. In this talk, I will showcase a few compelling examples of using chemical driving sources to engineer ionic transport for embodiment in soft machines. First, I will discuss my use of electrochemistry to regulate the transport of ions as energy carriers at multiple scales (Science Advances, 2024). By achieving embodied energy in a soft, bio-inspired jellyfish robot, we effectively bridge the energy density gap between robotic systems and biological organisms. Second, I will present my recent work using photochemistry to dynamically control ion transport as an information carrier at the soft-matter level (Nature Communications, 2026). This new light-driven mechanism is a key enabler for embodied information and control for soft machines, potentially leading to the creation of a new subfield, “Soft photo-ionotronics.” Finally, I will also present my vision for using multiple driving sources to achieve full embodied intelligence in soft machines, positively impacting autonomy, health, and sustainability, ultimately merging living systems and machines.
About the speaker:
Dr Xiangkun (Elvis) Cao (//profiles.imperial.ac.uk/elvis.cao) is an Assistant Professor at Imperial College London, with a joint appointment at the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment. He was recently named one of MIT Technology Review’s 35 Innovators Under 35 (MIT TR35 - Global) for his efforts in carbon management. He is also a Senior Schmidt Science Fellow (SSF), a lifelong fellowship by Schmidt Sciences in partnership with the Rhodes Trust. During his SSF placement at MIT, Elvis pursued his independent research vision for integrated carbon capture and utilisation, collaborating with Prof Ted Sargent at Northwestern University and Prof Dave Sinton at the University of Toronto. He received his PhD from Cornell University, with a focus on optofluidics for human and planetary health, working with Prof David Erickson. He earned his Master’s degree in Materials Engineering from McGill University, working with Prof Roderick Guthrie. He received his dual bachelor's degrees (BEng in Renewable Energy, BA in English Literature) from the ‘Hsue-Shen Tsien’ Elite Class of Xi’an Jiaotong University, working with Prof Yaling He. Cao secured over $1.2M grant funding as the PI/Co-PI from the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA), Schmidt Sciences, among others. Cao’s research was widely featured by NIH NIBIB, Forbes, among others. He has been named an Activate Fellow, an MIT Climate & Sustainability Consortium Impact Fellow, and a German Chancellor Fellow by the Humboldt Foundation. Cao has received the Forbes 30 Under 30 in Energy for North America, the CAS Future Leader in Chemistry, the World Energy Council’s Future Energy Leader (FEL-100), and the Global Separation Technology Youth Innovation Award, among others. Most recently, Cao was selected as one of the sixty participants in the China-America Frontiers of Engineering (CAFOE) symposium, jointly organised by the Chinese Academy of Engineering and the US National Academy of Engineering.
Dr Xu Liu is an incoming Lecturer (Assistant Professor) at King’s College London (starting May 2026), with a joint appointment at the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Engineering. Liu is a soft roboticist whose research spans robotic system design and the development of functional soft materials. By harnessing multiple chemical forces (e.g. electrochemistry, photochemistry) to engineer ionic transport in soft machines, she aims to bridge the gap between rigid machines and living systems by embodiment in soft machines. Liu’s PhD work under the guidance of Prof Robert Shepherd at Cornell focuses on embodied energy for soft robotics systems, leading not only to an Issue Highlight in Science Advances but also to an invitation from Jeff Bezos’ team to demonstrate her jellyfish robot at Amazon’s exclusive Machine Learning, Automation, Robotics, and Space (MARS) conference. Liu’s postdoctoral work under the guidance of Prof Thomas Wallin at MIT focuses on embodied information and control for soft machines, leading not only to publication in Nature Communications but also to the potential creation of a new subfield, “Soft photo-ionotronics.” For her research, Liu has received “Rising Star in Soft and Biological Matter” by the University of Chicago, the German Chancellor Fellowship from the Humboldt Foundation, the Oppenheimer Research Fellowship by the University of Cambridge, and, most recently, the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Fellowship by the European Union, among others. Beyond research, Liu was named a Young Changemaker in Sustainable WASH (1 of 5 globally) by UNICEF for her entrepreneurial efforts and was selected for the Homeward Bound for Antarctica Expedition for her work uplifting female voices in STEMM fields.