Ian Foulds was a founding faculty member in electrical engineering at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia, a graduate-only research university on the shores of the Red Sea that was ranked first in the world for citations per faculty in the QS World University Rankings® 2015/16.  Prior to KAUST, Ian did a NSERC post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Victoria after graduating from Simon Fraser University. Ian leads the Electromechanical Microsystems & Polymer Integration Research (EMPIRe) Group developing MEMS and Microfluidic systems and the techniques to build them. This field takes the same sorts of techniques used to make computer chips and uses them to make tiny mechanical and fluidic structures. The goal of this is to shrink sensors and take chemistry/biological lab analysis and put it onto a single chip, in a similar way to how computers were downsized from room-sized objects to single chips that can fit in a phone or watch. Not coincidentally, this field is also called Lab-on-a-Chip. The EMPIRe is working on projects like massive parallelization for chemical/pharmaceutical production, biomarker detection, and implantable drug delivery.  

Research Interests

​Author of 26 articles in journals and conference publications, Dr. Foulds‘ research interests are in the area of microsystems fabrication with a special interest in the use of polymer materials. He has worked extensively with different polymer resists and polymer specific patterning techniques. He is currently working on projects in the areas of polymer microfabrication techniques, polymer nanocomposite development, and microfluidics. Dr. Foulds‘work is aimed at advancing the development of 254-nanometer Deep-UV lithography; characterization of the reliability of polymer actuators; development and characterization of polymer nanocomposites for sensor arrays to provide rapid detection of pathogens, and to array and observe cells for metabolic testing.

Awards and Distinctions

• Gold Medal (graduate award for Canadian students of the highest academic standing), (2008)
• National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Postdoctoral Fellowship, (2008–2009)
• NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships, (2003–2007)
• Three Canadian Microelectronics Corporation Chip Allocation Grants, (2004–2005)
• Raytheon Systems Canada, Ltd., Scholarship for Native Students, (2001)

Education Profile

• Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, 2008
• Ph.D., School of Engineering Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, 2007
• M.A.Sc., School of Engineering Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, 2004
• B.A.Sc., Systems Option, School of Engineering Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, 2003

Professional Memberships

• Member, Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE)