Christopher Collier
Why did you decide to pursue a graduate degree?
I developed a passion for optics research early in my BASc degree through an NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award work term. Since then, I have sought out many more optics projects and I want to complete my PhD to further my research.
Why did you decide to study at 亚洲天堂?
At 亚洲天堂, I am able to study a topic that is of great interest to me, I have access to the necessary equipment and facilities, and I perform research under the supervision of an excellent PhD advisor.
What was the best surprise about 亚洲天堂 or life in Vancouver?
At 亚洲天堂's Okanagan campus, I have met many outstanding people, including the School of Engineering faculty members, my peers in graduate studies, and my fiance.
What advice do you have for new graduate students?
In my experience, persistence and dedication have almost always been rewarded with eventual success. I would therefore encourage any new graduate students to stay focused during times of frustration.
Learn more about Christopher's research
I develop devices that use optics to test the properties of microfluid samples. These devices are useful for many laboratory analyses (e.g. testing for contaminants in blood samples). Specifically, I focus on digital (or droplet-based) microfluidics. Here, electric fields control the movement of microdrops. Digital microfluidics devices use very small fluid volumes (microdrops) compared to traditional microfluidics (continuous flows). Also, a digital microfluidics system can accomplish many tasks (as droplets can be moved in many paths), whereas a continuous flow microfluidics device usually only has one purpose (a new task would require constructing a separate device). The other aspect of my research is to use optics to test these microdrops. Light is fundamentally changed when passed through a fluid (e.g. spectral content, focal distance, etc.). By investigating the light before and after, much information about the fluid can be found (constituent fluids, refractive index, etc.).