Quoc Vo, PhD

Research Instructor, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh

Research

My research asks: How can quantitative soft-matter physics and transport phenomena be used to build predictive models of human tissue function and disease? I integrate interfacial mechanics, imaging/analysis, and microphysiological systems engineering to control geometry, flow, matrix mechanics, and transport—then connect these variables to inflammation, immune dynamics, and therapeutic response.

Interfacial mechanics Wetting & contact lines Electrowetting / DEP Organs-on-chips Pulmonary & vascular mechanobiology Down syndrome (T21) Multi-omics + ML

Program structure


Selected projects

Autologous Airway-on-chip for Down syndrome immune dysfunction modelling

Engineering a fully autologous iPSC-derived airway-on-a-chip (iAirway-Chip) to model patient-specific pulmonary barrier function and inflammatory responses.

Organs-on-chips,Small Airway-on-a-Chip, iPSCs, Down Syndrome

Autologous Airway-on-chip for Down syndrome immune dysfunction modelling

ECM.MV.Chip — matrix-embedded circular microvasculature-on-chip

Engineered a 3D circular, matrix-embedded microvasculature-on-chip that sustains physiologically relevant shear distributions, enabling controlled studies of endothelial mechanotransduction within ECM and stromal co-culture contexts.

Organs-on-chipsVascular mechanobiologyECM

ECM.MV.Chip — matrix-embedded circular microvasculature-on-chip

Soft materials: viscoelastic response, softwetting dynamics, and bio-inspired self-cleaning, anti-fouling surfaces

Eludidating viscoelastic response at unprecedented time and length scale; explaining short-time dynamics of softwetting; and applying these physical principles to design and fabrication of bio-inspired self-cleaning, anti-fouling surfaces for wearable electronics

bio-inspired self-cleaning,anti-fouling, soft surfaces, wetting ridge, wearable electronics

Soft materials: viscoelastic response, softwetting dynamics, and bio-inspired self-cleaning, anti-fouling surfaces

Electrohydrodynamic Control of Interfacial Films for Advanced Thermal and Fluidic Applications

Engineered electric-field-based methods to control trapped air films during liquid–solid interactions, enabling suppression of bubble entrapment and improved boiling heat transfer for advanced cooling technologies.

dielectrophoretic,electronic cooling, splash suppression, air film entrapment

Electrohydrodynamic Control of Interfacial Films for Advanced Thermal and Fluidic Applications

Contact line dynamics of droplets actuated by electrowetting effect

Mechanistic modeling and experimental characterization of electrowetting-driven droplet dynamics for programmable microfluidic actuation.

Electrowetting,Digital Microfluidics, Droplet control, Contact line dynamics

Contact line dynamics of droplets actuated by electrowetting effect

Collaboration interests


© 2026 Quoc Vo