Enrique Valera

Research Assistant Professor

evalerac@illinois.edu

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Education

Ph.D. 2008, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Barcelona, Spain

Biography

I received my Ph.D. in Electronic Engineering from the Universitat PolitÃ¨cnica de Catalunya (UPC, Barcelona, Spain) in 2008. In 2009, I joined the Applied Molecular Receptors Group (AMRg; now Nanobiotechnology for Diagnostics, Nb4D) at the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientÃficas (CSIC, Barcelona, Spain) as a postdoctoral researcher supported by a Juan de la Cierva fellowship. In 2012, I moved to the Biomedical Research Networking Center in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN, Barcelona, Spain).

In June 2014, I joined the Bayley Lab in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, USA) as a postdoctoral researcher, followed by a position as Research Scientist in the Bashir Lab at UIUC in October 2016. In 2021, I joined the Department of Bioengineering at UIUC as a Research Assistant Professor. I am also a Affiliate at the Carle Hospital Biomedical Research Center, the Center for Genomic Diagnostics in the Carl R. Woese Institute of Genomic Biology, and the Holonyak Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory.

Over the past 20 years, my research has focused on multiple aspects of biosensor technology. My early work involved the development of electrochemical transducers for the detection of lowâ€“molecular-weight analytes in food safety applications. More recently, my research has centered on the development of electrical and optical point-of-care devices for clinical diagnostics. I have extensive experience in designing and implementing microfluidic platforms for the detection of cells, proteins, and pathogens.

In addition to my expertise in biosensors, I have a strong interdisciplinary background spanning electronics, chemistry, and microelectronic technologies. This includes nano- and microfabrication (cleanroom processes), optics, impedance spectroscopy, device simulation, surface chemistry, gas sensors, porous silicon, MEMS and RF-MEMS, and conventional silicon technologies. I also have significant experience in the synthesis and selective functionalization of nanoparticles, including IIâ€“V semiconductors, gold, and magnetic nanoparticles.

As a result of my research activities, I have authored 51 peer-reviewed publications in leading international journals, with additional manuscripts under review. I have presented my work at numerous national and international conferences and have contributed to funded research projects in Europe, Spain, and the United States. The innovation arising from my work has resulted in four granted patents (two in Spain and two in the United States).

Academic Positions

Research Assistant Professor, 03/2021 - Present, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), IL, USA.
Research Scientist, 07/2018 – 03/2021, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), IL, USA.

Research Statement

One of my primary goals as a researcher is to contribute to the development of a new generation of medical tools that move beyond the one-size-fits-all paradigm of therapeutics. I am driven to advance personalized medical technologies conceived as global health solutionsâ€”tools that are effective, scalable, and usable even within the constraints of resource-limited and remote settings worldwide.

My long-term vision is to enable faster, more precise diagnostics and global health technologies that support more targeted and effective therapies. For example, accurate identification of the specific bacterial pathogen responsible for an infection would significantly reduce the reliance on broad-spectrum antibiotics. Similarly, monitoring the immune response to infection could contribute to the stratification of septic patients into well-defined endotypes, enabling more tailored clinical interventions. I am particularly interested in making diseasesâ€”and even disease riskâ€”detectable at much earlier stages, when intervention is more successful or prevention is still possible. In addition, I aim to develop diagnostic platforms that can be rapidly adapted to emerging viruses or new biological threats.

To achieve these goals, my research focuses on the development of point-of-care (POC) diagnostic devices and microfluidic platforms for the detection, identification, and quantification of biomarkers and pathogens. Biosensor technologies, combining selective biological recognition elements with suitable transducers for signal conversion and processing, are expected to play a critical analytical role in clinical diagnostics, food safety, environmental monitoring, and related fields. The broad applicability of biosensors naturally enables highly multidisciplinary collaborations spanning engineering, applied sciences (chemistry, biology, and physics), and application-driven domains with significant societal impact, such as medicine and agriculture.

Successful integration of these disciplines must be reflected in diagnostic devices that meet rigorous application-specific requirements, including sensitivity, response time, reproducibility, portability, automation, multiplexing capability, and cost-effectiveness. Robust biosensor platforms must also be versatile, allowing the interchangeability of biorecognition elements to address a wide range of analytical targets. Meeting these challenges is essential for the translation of biosensor technologies from the laboratory to commercialization and routine clinical use.

Research Interests

Electronic technology: Development of micro and nano devices. Silicon micromachining. Microfluidics.
Biosensors technology: Point-of-care detection. Multiplexed detection. Biomarkers detection. Pathogens detection. Optical and electrochemical transducers. Clinical diagnostic and food safety applications.