Dr Melanie Jimenez
Senior Lecturer
Biomedical Engineering
Personal statement
Dr Melanie Jimenez is a Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow and Chancellor's Fellow working on microfluidic and sensory systems (or “lab-on-chips”) for medical and environment sciences. Her profile is interdisciplinary, at the interface of engineering, physics and biology and her goal is to develop new tools to manipulate cells and fluids at the microscopic scale. More specifically, her research could be summarised as “finding the needle in a haystack”, where micro- and nano- technologies are engineered to characterise, detect and/or isolate small targets of interest (e.g., pathogens, cancer cells, proteins, etc). These technologies can be used for a wide range of applications; she worked for example in collaboration with Scottish Water to isolate waterborne pathogens from drinking water and she has ongoing projects to improve the detection of pathogens in blood, endometriosis and neglected tropical diseases. A particular focus in her current research is to develop technologies that will improve patient outcomes. She also has a passion for engagement across disciplines and science communication. She was the recipient of a Wellcome Trust Frontiers Innovator Award (2015), a finalist for the title of Young Woman Engineer of the Year (2020) and currently is one the eight internationally recognised ISAC innovators for advancement in the field of cytometry. She co-led in 2018 a programme in collaboration with physics teachers to challenge the perception of engineering in schools and currently collaborates with charity Sepsis Research FEAT to increase awareness of sepsis in schools (https://sepsisresearch.org.uk/seps_is/). More information: https://jimenezmelanie.weebly.com
Prize And Awards
- Strathclyde Medal Team Award
- Recipient
- 18/8/2026
- FEAT award: Combining engineering and biology to better understand sepsis for rapid medical diagnostics
- Recipient
- 1/4/2024
- Innovator Award
- Recipient
- 2021
- Honorary Research Fellow at the College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences
- Recipient
- 2021
- Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowship
- Recipient
- 2018
- Post-Doctoral Fellowship
- Recipient
- 2017
Publications
- Accessible and Scalable Fabrication of Microfluidic Components for Electrochemical Sensors
- Gordon Alisdair, Dobrea Alexandra, Mani Veerappan, Corrigan Damion, Jimenez Melanie
- UK Microfluidics Conference (2026)
- Mechanical phenotyping of MG63s following vibrational stimulation
- Pereira Sousa Rui Pedro, Reid Stuart, Dalby Matthew J, Jimenez Melanie, Childs Peter G
- FASEB Journal Vol 40 (2026)
- https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.202504885R
- A surface enhanced Raman scattering nanotag library based on cucurbit[7]uril controlled nanoparticle aggregates for fast cell imaging
- Zhu Yuanshuai, Li Xiaobo, Maknitikul Sitang, Bileckaja Narina, Peng Qiyun, Gracie Jennifer, Drabwell Owen, Li Sixuan, Glidle Andrew, Dobson Phil, Yuan Xiaofei, Yang Zhugen, Jimenez Melanie, Peveler William J, Yin Huabing
- Journal of Colloid and Interface Science Vol 718 (2026)
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2026.140538
- Development of a high-sensitivity electrochemical immunoassay using a fully 3D-printed electrocatalytic microelectrode probe platform
- Docherty Niamh, Miller Chloe L, Dobrea Alexandra, MacDonald Daniel, Gordon Alisdair, Pang Susan, Fu Ying, Jimenez Melanie, Corrigan Damion K, Patel Bhavik Anil
- Analytical Chemistry Vol 98, pp. 9260–9272 (2026)
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.5c08037
- High-throughput cell cycle and morphological analysis of Leishmania mexicana and other kinetoplastids
- Howell Jessie, Jimenez Melanie, Hammarton Tansy C
- Euglenozoa (2026) (2026)
- https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-5146-9_10
- Characterisation and optimisation of an automated ultrafiltration system used for the concentration of waterborne viruses, bacteria and protozoa
- Desmulliez M P Y, Heduin A, Kerrouche A, Jimenez M, Stange C, Tiehm A, Bridle H
- Journal of microbiological methods Vol 237 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mimet.2025.107236
Professional Activities
- Label-free ImageStream analysis
- Contributor
- 6/1/2026
- ImageStream-based analysis of L. mexicana’s cell cycle
- Contributor
- 4/4/2025
- Using imaging flow cytometry to guide Leishmania mexicana cell cycle separation using microfluidics
- Contributor
- 4/2/2025
- High throughput mechanical phenotyping of nano vibrated mesenchymal stem cells using real time deformability cytometry
- Speaker
- 10/6/2024
- Cantug Bar
- Host
- 10/5/2024
- RAEng Research Forum
- Participant
- 17/4/2024
Projects
- Next-Generation Low-Cost Electrochemical Biosensors for Water Quality Monitoring
- Corrigan, Damion (Principal Investigator) Jimenez, Melanie (Co-investigator) Mani, Veerappan (Research Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2026 - 31-Jan-2029
- Exploiting mechanobiology for improved yield and quality of cultured meat
- Childs, Peter (Principal Investigator) Jimenez, Melanie (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2026 - 30-Jan-2026
- EPSRC DTP - The impact of spinner flask culture on extra cellular vesicle production
- Jimenez, Melanie (Principal Investigator) Reid, Stuart (Co-investigator) Childs, Peter (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2025
- UDLA 2527 University of Strathclyde | Crow, Richard
- Jimenez, Melanie (Principal Investigator) Reid, Stuart (Co-investigator) Crow, Richard (Research Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2025 - 01-Jan-2028
- MAINSTREAM: EPSRC research and partnership hub for health technologies in manufacturing stem cells
- Childs, Peter (Principal Investigator) Jimenez, Melanie (Co-investigator) Reid, Stuart (Co-investigator) Williams, Jonathan (Researcher)
- 13-Jan-2025 - 12-Jan-2031
- Development of a low cost and easy to use electrochemical detection platform for screening cardiac biomarkers at the point of need
- Corrigan, Damion (Principal Investigator) Jimenez, Melanie (Principal Investigator) Docherty, Niamh (Co-investigator) Gordon, Alisdair (Co-investigator) Dobrea, Alexandra (Co-investigator)
- BHF Translation Award
- 01-Jan-2024 - 31-Jan-2026
Contact
Dr
Melanie
Jimenez
Senior Lecturer
Biomedical Engineering
Email: melanie.jimenez@strath.ac.uk
Tel: 548 3114