Mawla Boaks

PhD student

Brigham Young University

About Me

I work on developing high resolution 3D printing processes to bring the fabrication of lab-on-a-chip devices with microfluidic features (<100 μm) out of high maintenance class 10 cleanroom to a custom 3D printer. Currently, I am a 5th year PhD student in Electrical and Computer Engineering department at Brigham Young University, Provo, UT. I work as a Research Assistant in the 3D printing for microfluidics lab under the supervision of Dr. Greg Nordin.

I love cooking traditional Bangladeshi food, road trips, and visiting US national parks during my spare time. So far I have visited 9 national parks and Yellowstone is my most favorite national park.

Interests

3D printed microfluidics
Lab-on-a-chip
Photonics
MEMS

Education

PhD in ECE, 2022
Brigham Young University
MSc in ECE, 2018
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
BSc in EEE, 2011
Islamic University of Technology

Projects

Current Project

3D printing for microfluidics with sub 10 micron thick layers

In these project we are developing a new approach to be able to 3D print less than 10 micron thick layers for microfluidic applications.

Squeeze valve serial dilution and dose response assay

In this project we intend to fabricate tiny serial dilution devices based on squeeze valves invented by our group. The application of this device will be a dose response assay.

Past Projects

Biocompatible High Resolution 3D Printing for Microfluidics
Advisor: Dr. Greg Nordin

In this project, we developed a biocompatible and optically clear resin for high resolution 3D printed microfluidic devices for lab-on-a-chip application. We had to use a short pass filter to match the printer’s source emission spectra to the absorber’s absorption spectra. We printed active microfluidic components such as valves and pumps with this new resin. Finally, we fabricated a concentration gradient device with integrated 3D printed on-chip pumps and demostrated chemotaxis of human fibroblast cells towards a chemoattractant as an utility of the biocompatible resin.

Photonic Tuning of Silicon Ring Resonators Using an Automated Microfluidic Mixer
Advisor: Dr. Ryan Camacho & Dr. Greg Nordin

In this project, we developed a 3D printed microfluidic device that for the first time can automatically mix and pump fluids as needed to accurately modulate photonic ring resonators. We have published two journal papers based on the results from this project.

Hydrogen Storage in Catalytically-Modified Porous Silicon
Advisor: Dr. Peter Schubert

In this project, I investigated the kinetics of catalytically-modified porous silicon as a reversible hydrogen storage system using density functional theory (DFT) and compared the results to laboratory experiments. This project won me the Graduate School Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award, Indiana University, 2018. [Read more]

Featured Publications

Recent Publications

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Conference Papers

Carver, Christian, Mawla Boaks, JuHang Kim, Kevin Larson, Gregory P. Nordin, and Ryan M. Camacho. “Photonic Tuning of Silicon Ring Resonators Using an Automated Microfluidic Mixer.” In CLEO: Applications and Technology, pp. ATh4G-4. Optical Society of America, 2021. [OSA]
Larson, Kevin, Alec Hammond, Christian Carver, Derek Anderson, Mawla Boaks, Matthew Viglione, Greg Nordin, and Ryan M. Camacho. “Zero-energy tuning of silicon photonic devices using 3D-printed microfluidics.” In Frontiers in Optics, pp. FTu6B-2. Optical Society of America, 2020. [OSA]

Journal Articles

Esene, Joule E., Mawla Boaks, Anna V. Bickham, Gregory P. Nordin, and Adam T. Woolley. “3D printed microfluidic device for automated, pressure-driven, valve-injected microchip electrophoresis of preterm birth biomarkers.” Microchimica Acta 189, no. 5 (2022): 1-8. [Microchimica Acta]
Kevin Larson, Alec Hammond, Christian Carver, Derek Anderson, Matthew Viglione, Mawla Boaks, Greg Nordin, and Ryan M. Camacho, “Post-fabrication tuning of microring resonators using 3D-printed microfluidics,” Opt. Lett. 46, 4650-4653 (2021) [Optics Letters]
Christian Carver, Mawla Boaks, JuHang Kim, Kevin Larson, Gregory P. Nordin, and Ryan M. Camacho, “Automated photonic tuning of silicon microring resonators using a 3D-printed microfluidic mixer,” OSA Continuum 4, 2075-2081 (2021) [OSA Continuum]
Boaks, Mawla, and Peter J. Schubert. “Kinetics of hydrogen storage on catalytically-modified porous silicon.” Journal of Catalysis 371 (2019): 81-87. [ScienceDirect]

Recent News

03/31/2022: Our journal paper titled “3D Printed Microfluidic Device for Automated, Pressure-driven, Valve-injected Microchip Electrophoresis of Preterm Birth Biomarkers” got accepted in Microchimica Acta.

10/12/2021: We are here at MicroTAS 2021, Palm springs, CA. We are delighted to be able to present our research on 3D printing for Microfluidics. Here is a photo of part of the Nordin-Woolley Lab presenting their work at MicroTAS 2021.

8/12/2021: We had a lab retreat at Tibble fork reservoir.

8/2/2021: Our journal paper titled “Post-fabrication Tuning of Micro-ring Resonators Using 3D-printed Microfluidics” got accepted in Optics Letters.

7/13/2021: Our abstract titled “THE REST OF THE STORY: HIGH RESOLUTION 3D PRINTING WITH A BIOCOMPATIBLE RESIN FOR MICROFLUIDICS” has been accepted for poster presentation in MicroTAS 2021. Another collaboration work with Dr. Wooley’s group titled “3D PRINTING MICROFLUIDIC DEVICES WITH CLEAR RESIN FOR ELECTROPHORETIC SEPARATION” has also been accepted for poster presentation.

6/14/2021: Our journal paper titled “Automated Photonic Tuning of Silicon Microring Resonators Using a 3D-printed Microfluidic Mixer” got accepted in OSA Continuum.

9/14/2020: Kevin Larson (MS student) presented our collaboration work in Frontiers in Optics 2020 conference where we showed resonant frequencies of silicon ring resonators can be tuned using a custom 3D-printed microfluidic chip overlaid directly on the photonic circuit. We integrated 3D printed microfluidics with photonics in this project. This year the conference was virtual.

11/27/2019: I passed my PhD competency exam!

4/19/2019: Attended Indiana University Graduate School Award ceremony held at Indiana University, Bloomington campus. I received the University Graduate School Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award.