Guillermo Aguilar: Mechanical Engineering Distinguished Seminar Series

Title

Light, Heat, and Materials: Engineering Solutions for Biomedical Discovery and Therapeutic Innovation

Abstract

For more than two decades, my research has explored how interactions among light, heat and matter can address challenges in medicine and engineering, spanning laser-assisted cooling and heating for dermatological applications, biomedical optics, laser diagnostics, laser-induced cavitation and advanced laser-based manufacturing and surface engineering.

A major current focus is developing transparent yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) cranial implants that provide permanent optical access to the brain for noninvasive imaging, sensing and therapeutic light delivery. This technology could improve the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders, including traumatic brain injury and brain cancer, while reducing repeated invasive procedures.

Through the NSF Engineering Research Center ATP-Bio, we are also developing laser-driven platforms to safely rewarm cryogenically preserved biological specimens, improving the viability of embryos, larvae and other living materials and advancing regenerative medicine, conservation biology and transplantation science. The seminar will additionally highlight laser-enabled surface functionalization, cavitation erosion mitigation and optical diagnostics, illustrating how fundamental mechanical engineering concepts can be translated into impactful biomedical technologies.

Background

Prof. Guillermo Aguilar earned his B.S. in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in 1993 and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from UC Santa Barbara in 1995 and 1999. He then received a Whitaker Postdoctoral Fellowship at UC Irvine’s Beckman Laser Institute and former Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering and Material Sciences.

In 2003, he joined UC Riverside’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, where he rose through the faculty ranks and served as Department Chair from 2013–2021. Since July 2021, he has served as the James and Ada Forsyth Professor and Department Head of the J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University.

His research in cryogen spray cooling, laser-tissue interactions, biomedical optics,and materials laser processing has received support from NSF, ASLMS, AFOSR, Sandia National Laboratories, NIH and others. He is a Fellow of ASLMS, ASME,and AIMBE and a member of the Mexican Academy of Engineering. Prof. Aguilar has co-authored more than 120 journal publications and advised more than 13 postdoctoral researchers and 58 students, including more than 30 graduate students, as well as undergraduate students and interns.

The Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering Distinguished Seminar Series features scholars from a wide range of peer institutions across the country. The events are open to all faculty, staff and students looking to spark their curiosity and learn about high-impact research from some of the world's most prominent experts in mechanical engineering.