Kirk Mutafopulos
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Kirk Mutafopulos is a Ph.D. candidate in Applied Physics at Harvard University's John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. As an undergraduate student at Seton Hall University, Kirk studied the mechanics of non-neural microtubules to elucidate the dynamic and mechanical properties of mammalian non-neural microtubules. After completing his Bachelor of Science, Kirk pursued a Master's in Engineering degree at Cornell University where he developed and studied material systems for use in orthopedic implants to reduce the intermediate loss of strength and stiffness that occurs during the bone remodeling process. Before attending Harvard University, Kirk was a Research Engineer at Massachusetts General Hospital's (MGH) Cancer Center where he worked with Mehmet Toner Ph.D. and Daniel Haber M.D. Ph.D. developing microfluidic devices to capture and screen circulating tumor cells from patient derived whole blood. Following his time at MGH, Kirk led research and development efforts at Seventh Sense Bio-Systems, where he worked with a team of engineers to improve their microfluidic blood collection devices. Kirk is currently developing a high-speed microfluidic cell sorter with Cytonome, a cell sorting company in Bedford, MA. He has advised multiple summer undergraduate students as part of MRSEC's REU program. His research interests include developing novel microfluidic chips for medical diagnostic applications, studying the hydrodynamic behavior of cells, surface acoustic wave applications for microfluidics, and building high throughput flow cytometry systems in the laboratory of David Weitz Ph.D.