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L. Francis

. 

Laurent A. FRANCIS, Dr. ir.

Check also my page on academia.edu

Associate Professor 
Sensors, Microsystems and Actuators Laboratory of Louvain (SMALL) 
Electrical Engineering Dpt. (ELEN)
Institute for Information and Communication Technologies, Electronics and Applied Mathematics (ICTEAM)
Louvain School of Engineering (EPL)
Université catholique de Louvain (UCL)
Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

 

Office Address

B.208. Maxwell Building, Place du Levant 3
B-1348, Louvain-la-Neuve
Belgium

 

Contact Information

 

Tel(Fax): +32(0)10 47 35 33 (25 98)
Laurent Francis160;
Web : http://www.uclouvain.be/Laurent.Francis 

 

Personal Information

Born November 24, 1978, in Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
Belgian Citizenship
Resides in Grez-Doiceau, Belgium

 

Professional education

2011 Visiting professor, Université de Sherbrooke, Canada

2006 Ph.D. in Applied Sciences, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

2004 Diplôme d’Études Approfondies (DEA), in Applied Sciences, summa cum laude, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

2001 M. Eng. in Materials Science, minor orientation in Electrical Engineering, magna cum laude, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

 

Professional affiliations

2007 - now Associate Professor, Microsystems Chair, Louvain School of Engineering, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

2005 – 2007 Senior Researcher, RF-MEMS group, Department of Microsystems, Components and Packaging, Interuniversity MicroElectronics Center (IMEC), Leuven, Belgium

2001 – 2005 Ph.D. Researcher, Department of Materials Science and Processes Engineering, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, in collaboration with the Biosensors Group of the Interuniversity MicroElectronics Center (IMEC), Leuven, Belgium

 

Research Interests

  • MEMS and NEMS sensors and actuators for biomedical, environmental and aeronautics/space applications: engineering and teaching of micro- and nano-electro-mechanical device (design, fabrication, characterization, reliability and packaging)
  • Integration of thin-film functional materials in microsensors: ultrananocrystalline diamond, piezoelectric materials, sensing (bio)chemical layers, …
  • Scientific promotor and spokesman for FEDER/Walloon region project MINATIS for the investigation and industrial use of microsensors (http://www.minatis.be).
  • Scientific promotor and spokesman for F.R.F.C. project (n° 2.4517.09) entitled “Beyond Moore's law: investigation of integrated sensing nanosystems.” oriented to nanostructured ultrathin films devices using Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) tool. Co-promotors of this project are Profs. Jean-Pierre Raskin and Pierre Defrance at UCL and Prof. J.-P. Vigneron at the University of Namur.
  • Seeking for technological developments in bio-inspired devices and energy scavenging.
  • Strengthening the cooperation between industries, SME’s and university.
  • Currently in charge of a group of 4 post-docs and 6 PhD students with research activities at UCL in direct relation with micro- and nano-sensors.

 

Teaching activities

Serve as lecturer for various courses and projects given at the Louvain School of Engineering, at the Faculty of Sciences, at the Louvain School of Management, and at the ICHEC Brussels Management School for bachelor and master degrees students.

  • ELEC2895 Design of Micro and Nanosystems (coordinator) since 2008
  • ELEC2560 Microfabrication Techniques since 2008
  • ELEC2590 Seminars in Electronics and Communications in 2010
  • PHY2246 Vacuum Physics and Techniques since 2009
  • FSAB1502 (engineering bachelor) Projet 2 (coordinator) in 2010
  • INGE1317 Recherche et Développement Technologique in 2009
  • ICHEC : électricité et électronique since 2008

Also providing support for continued education in micro/nanotechnologies and renewable energy.

 

Latest relevant publications

  • X. Tang, D. Flandre, J.-P. Raskin, Y. Nizet, L. Moreno-Hagelsieb, R. Pampin, and L. A. Francis, "A new interdigitated array microelectrode-oxide-silicon sensor with label-free, high sensitivity and specificity for fast bacteria detection", Sensors and Actuators B - Chemical (2011) in press
  • L. Moreno-Hagelsieb, Y. Nizet, X. Tang, J.-P. Raskin, D. Flandre, and L. A. Francis, “CMOS Compatible Anodic Al2O3 Based Sensors for Bacteria Detection”, Procedia Chemistry 1 (1), 2009, pp.1283-1286.
  • S. Sobieski, N. André, J.-P. Raskin, and L. A. Francis, “Temperature Effect on Lorentz Based Magnetometer”, Sensor Letters, 7 (3), 2009, pp. 456-459.
  • F.R. Kloss, L. A. Francis, H. Sternschulte, F. Klauser, R. Gassner, M. Rasse, E. Bertel, T. Lechleitner, and D. Steinmueller-Nethl, "Commercial developments of nano-crystalline diamond - two prototypes as case studies", Diamond and Related Materials, 17 (7-10), 2008, pp. 1089-1099.
  • L. A. Francis, J.-M. Friedt, C. Zhou and P. Bertrand. “In situ evaluation of density, viscosity and thickness of adsorbed soft layers by combined surface acoustic wave and surface plasmon resonance”, Anal. Chem. 78 (12), 2006, pp. 4200-4209.

 

Patent

  • J.-M. Friedt, A. Campitelli, L. Francis, “Apparatus and methods for simultaneous surface acoustic wave and surface plasmon resonance measurements,” no. WO2004113882, US 2006/0173636 A1 

 

Grants & Awards

  • Co-recipient of the "HITEN 2011 - Outstanding Student Paper Award" received by E. Boufouss
  • Director of the master thesis of T. Walewyns who received the AILv Innovation Award in 2010 
  • IEEE UFFC Society Best Student Poster Award in the category “Sensors and Transducers”, August 2004
  • FRIA Ph.D fellowship (2001-2005)

 

Memberships

After 2005 - now by most recent

  • Journal of Sensors (Hindawi) editorial board member
  • administration board member (UCL delegate) of the Renewable Business Facilitator (RBF)
  • affiliation to the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society
  • member of the National Committee Biomedical Engineering (NCBME), Belgium
  • member and main academic contact for Girasol, an Academy Louvain forum dedicated to the future use of Solar energies in replacement of oil
  • member of NanoWal, the Walloon network for Nanotechnologies
  • Sensors and Transducers (ISSN 1726-5479) editorial board member

Before 2005 - now by most recent

  • member of the IEEE, affiliated to the UFFC and MTT Societies
  • member of the UCL Alumni

Invited reviewer

  • Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, and B:chemical (Elsevier)
  • Sensors Journal (IEEE)
  • Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems (IEEE/ASME)
  • Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering (IOP)
  • Analytica Chimica Acta (Elsevier)
  • International Frequency Sensor Association (IFSA) and member of the Editorial Advisory Board

 

Former interests

2001 – 2007 member of the Belgian Physical Society.
2000 – 2004 referee for the Ligue Francophone Belge de Badminton.
1998 – 2000 member of Junior Ingénieur Conseil asbl (UCL student association), vice-president board 1999-2000.
1998 – 1999 board member of the Belgian Confederation of Junior Enterprises asbl-vzw (student association, affiliated to JADE - the European Confederation of Junior Enterprises).