The Institute for Catalan Studies (IEC), based in Barcelona, Spain, has named UW Professor of Bioengineering Albert Folch as a member of its Science and Technology Section. Folch was recognized with the honor during a Plenary session June 15, along with three other new fellows in the Science and Technology Section and the Historical-Archaeological Section.

The Institute for Catalan Studies is a national research academy focused on all aspects of Catalan culture and known for its work standardizing the Catalan language.

The Folch lab is developing the next generation of microfluidic devices to test multiple cancer drugs in small, intact tumor biopsies to determine the most effective treatment options for individual patients. In April, MIT Press published his latest book on microfluidics, its history and where the field is headed. Learn more in a UW BioE Q&A interview, and in a 2021 article published in The Conversation.

Folch earned a bachelor’s degree in physics and a Ph.D. in surface science and nanotechnology from the University of Barcelona. As a graduate student, he was a visiting scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, and he did postdoctoral studies at MIT and Harvard.