Professor James Kwan

BS Rensselaer NY, MS MPhil PhD Columbia
Associate Professor and Tutorial Fellow in Engineering Science

Academic subject(s):

Engineering Science
  • Core subject area: Chemical engineering
  • Research interests: Stimuli-responsive microparticles and nanoparticles, ultrasound, cavitation, sonochemistry, physical acoustics

James Kwan’s work primarily focuses on the use of mechanical, thermal, and chemical effects of ultrasound and cavitation to address challenges in personal and environmental health. Specifically, his current research concentrates on developing ultrasound-responsive micro- or nanoparticles that facilitate localised heating, mass transport, and/or free radical formation. He also has an interest in understanding the biological effects of ultrasound and cavitation on bacterial biofilms.

Prior to joining Balliol, James completed his BS from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and MS, MPhil, and PhD from Columbia University. He conducted his postdoctoral work at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and at the University of Oxford. During his time at Oxford, he was also a Junior Research Fellow at New College and worked at OxSonics, an Oxford spinout company. In 2016, he joined Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, as an Assistant Professor in Chemical and Biomedical Engineering.

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