Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Bioengineering

office: Foege N310A

Email:  ayokunle@uw.edu

Ayokunle OlanrewajuAyokunle Olanrewaju

Lab Website

How I am inventing the future of medicine

I will transform our approach to monitoring, treating, and preventing diseases by developing wearable autonomous devices that automate complex molecular tests.

Microfluidics
Capillary-driven flow
Wearable devices
Point-of-care diagnostics
Enzyme activity assays
Therapeutic drug monitoring

Dr. Olanrewaju’s research applies principles from the physical and life sciences to solve pressing problems in diagnostics, precision medicine, and translational bioengineering. The Olanrewaju develops technologies to transform disease monitoring, treatment, and prevention using 3D microfabrication, autonomous microfluidics, and drug activity assays. Our goal is to develop technologies that can be used directly at the point of need to address diseases that disproportionately affect those who are already marginalized in society.

Ph.D. in Biological and Biomedical Engineering, McGill University, Canada
M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering, University of Alberta, Canada
B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering, University of Alberta, Canada

Postdoctoral Research Associate, Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, 2018-2020

Acting Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, 2020-21

  • International AIDS Society (IAS)/ France Recherche Nord & Sud Sida-HIV Hépatites (ANRS) Lange/van Tongeren Prize for Young Investigators.
  • University of Washington Undergraduate Research Mentor Award
  • Featured on Cell Mentor’s List of 1,000 inspiring Black scientists
  • University of Washington/Fred Hutch Center for AIDS Research New Investigator Award
  • Mistletoe Research Fellowship
  • 1st Place, Elevator Speech Contest, American Society for Cell Biology Annual Meeting: https://youtu.be/r2USzdRwVSY
  • MITACS Elevate Industrial Postdoctoral Fellowship
  • Québec Étudiant-Chercheur étoiles (Star Student Researcher)
  • 1st Place, Shark Tank Competition, MicroTAS 2017 Conference: https://youtu.be/zqPDxmFFDW8
  • Top 15, Canada-wide NSERC Science Action! Video Competition: https://youtu.be/PzED8k9HQNU

BIOEN 345 Failure Analysis and Human Physiology
BIOEN 4XX/5XX Microfluidics for Global Health
BIOEN 454/554 Bioengineering Solutions to Improve the Health Of Families Worldwide

  • 1. Yafia M, Ymbern O, Olanrewaju A, Parandakh A, Sohrabi Kashani A, Renault J, Jin Z, Kim G, Ng A, Juncker D. (2022) Microfluidic Chain Reaction. Nature. doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04683-4
    2. Olanrewaju A.O, Sullivan BP, Gim A, Craig CA, Sevenler D, Bender AT, Drain PK, Posner JD. (2022) REverSe TranscrIptase Chain Termination (RESTRICT) for Selective Measurement of Nucleotide Analogs Used in HIV Care and Prevention. Bioengineering & Translational Medicine. doi.org/10.1002/btm2.10369
    3. Olanrewaju A.O, Sullivan B.P, Bardon A.R, Lo T.J, Cressey T.R, Posner J.D, Drain P.K, (2021) Pilot Evaluation of a Rapid Enzymatic Assay for Measuring Antiretroviral Drug Concentrations. Virology Journal, 18(77), https://doi.org/10.1186/s12985-021-01543-x [doi.org]
    4. Seah Y.M, Chang A.M, Dabee S, Davidge B, Erickson J.R, Olanrewaju A.O, Price R.M, (2021) Pandemic-related instructor talk: how new instructors supported students at the onset of the COVID- 19 pandemic, Journal of Microbiology Education, 22(1) https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.v22i1.2401 [doi.org]
    5. Drain P.K, Bardon A.R, Simoni J.M, Cressey T.R, Anderson P, Sevenler D, Olanrewaju A.O, Gandhi M, Celum C. (2020) Point-of-Care and Near-Patient Antiretroviral Testing for Monitoring Adherence to HIV Treatment and Prevention, Current HIV/AIDS Reports. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11904-020-00512-3 [doi.org]
    6. Olanrewaju A.O, Sullivan B.P, Zhang J.Y, Bender A.T, Sevenler D, Lo T.J, Fernandez-Suarez M, Drain P.K, and Posner J.D. (2020) Enzymatic Assay for Rapid Measurement of Antiretroviral Drug Levels. ACS Sensors, 5(4), 952 – 959. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssensors.9b02198 [doi.org]
    7. Olanrewaju A.O, Beaugrand M, Yafia M, and Juncker D. (2018) Capillary microfluidics in microchannels: from microfluidic networks to capillaric circuits, Lab on a Chip, 18 (16), 2323-2347. https://doi.org/10.1039/C8LC00458G [doi.org].
    8. Olanrewaju A.O, Ng A, DeCorwin-Martin P, Robillard A, and Juncker D. (2017) Microfluidic Capillaric Circuit for Rapid and Facile Bacteria Detection, Analytical Chemistry, 89, 6846 – 6853. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.7b01315 [doi.org]
    9. Olanrewaju A.O, Robillard A, Dagher M, and Juncker D. (2016) Autonomous Microfluidic Capillaric Circuits Replicated from 3D-Printed Molds”, Lab on a Chip, 16 (19), 3804 – 3814. https://doi.org/10.1039/C6LC00764C [doi.org].

In the News

  • Ayokunle Olanrewaju

Ayokunle Olanrewaju receives prestigious Beckman Young Investigator Award

June 12th, 2024|Comments Off on Ayokunle Olanrewaju receives prestigious Beckman Young Investigator Award

The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation awarded UW BioE and ME Assistant Professor Ayokunle (Ayo) Olanrewaju with the Beckman Young Investigator Award.

  • Ayokunle Olanrewaju

Ayokunle Olanrewaju honored with the Rogel Faculty Support Award

November 6th, 2023|Comments Off on Ayokunle Olanrewaju honored with the Rogel Faculty Support Award

Ayokunle (Ayo) Olanrewaju, assistant professor for UW Bioengineering, has been awarded a Rogel Faculty Support Award. The grant honors an outstanding junior faculty member who has made important contributions to the Department of Bioengineering, [...]

  • headshot Ayokunle Olanrewaju

Meet the Researcher: Ayokunle Olanrewaju

August 10th, 2022|Comments Off on Meet the Researcher: Ayokunle Olanrewaju

Ayokunle (Ayo) Olanrewaju is assistant professor of mechanical engineering and of bioengineering. His research applies 3D microfabrication, autonomous microfluidics and molecular assays to address medical challenges in treating infectious and chronic diseases, such as HIV, [...]