- About
- Apply
- Awards + Funding
- Graduate Students
- Life + Community
- Faculty + Staff
- Individualized Interdisciplinary Studies in Graduate Studies
"My supervisor, Dr. Bonnie Gray, inspired me to pursue graduate studies after I'd taken a USRA semester in her lab during the COVID-19 pandemic, working on self-sterilizing textiles. It was her encouragement and support, combined with her unique collection of research expertise (wearables, microfluidics and textiles) that made me choose SFU and join her lab."
Basil Giannopoulos
Engineering Science master's student in the Faculty of Applied Sciences
Tell us a little about yourself, including what inspires you to learn and continue in your chosen field
I’ve always wanted to create things that are interesting and directly useful to society, which is why I went into engineering. I’m non-binary, and my journey with HRT got me interested in the world of biochemical sensors and the direct, positive impact that biomedical engineering can have. However, I’m also very aware of the packaging and medical waste problems we face as a society. The wide applicability of sensors to areas I’m passionate about (personalized healthcare and access to care, renewable energy, environmental monitoring, improved manufacturing) has been really exciting, and wearable sensors combine so many fields of knowledge (biochemistry, optics, communication, mechanics, electronics) that I am never bored. Ultimately, infusing my values into my research is what motivates me to keep going.
Why did you choose to come to SFU?
My supervisor, Dr. Bonnie Gray, inspired me to pursue graduate studies after I'd taken a USRA semester in her lab during the COVID-19 pandemic, working on self-sterilizing textiles. It was her encouragement and support, combined with her unique collection of research expertise (wearables, microfluidics and textiles) that made me choose SFU and join her lab. I also felt I still had more left to do at SFU at the end of my undergraduate degree - I was in the midst of efforts to enhance student engagement and outreach to Indigenous students through ITMP (https://itmp.ca) and wanted to continue building and strengthening partnerships in the Faculty of Applied Science and across SFU!
How would you describe your research or your program to a family member?
I like to start with the idea of electronic skin! The goal of creating a stretchy, flexible material that can sense things like pressure, light, presence of chemicals, etc. and quantify them into useful information is applicable to many situations. One example is a smart band-aid, that can monitor wound healing and promote healing with phototherapy. However, there still many challenges with building robust, stable sensors that are sensitive and selective but still inexpensive and easy enough to manufacture at large scales to be worthwhile.
What three (3) keywords would you use to describe your research?
wearable sensors, stretchable electronics, electronic skin
How have your courses, RA-ships, TA-ships, or non-academic school experiences contributed to your academic and/or professional development?
Courses have been a great way to meet other graduate students, talk about research, and get to know what is going on in other labs and departments. Being a TA has been rewarding and humbling. I just hope to be the kind of TA I wanted to have as a student, and encourage students to get involved with research and follow their interests. But my greatest development has been outside of academics, through the Indigenous Tutoring & Mentoring Program (ITMP). I run the website, blog and newsletter for the program and help guide its future directions with three other leaders. The relationship building, management skills, and cultural humility I’ve developed through that volunteer work has been instrumental to my growth, and provided a much-needed creative outlet at times!
Contact Basil:bgiannop@sfu.ca