Emeritus Prof. Eng. RONALD PETHIG

Received his B.Sc. (Eng.) and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southampton, followed by a D.Sc. in Biomolecular Electronics. He later obtained a second Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Nottingham. Over the course of his career, he has held academic positions at the University of Wales, Bangor and the University of Edinburgh, where he served as Professor of Bioelectronics and was named Emeritus Professor. From 2001 to 2003, he was President and CEO of Aura BioSystems Inc., Palo Alto, where he directed business strategy, raised venture capital, and led product development based on his pioneering work in dielectrophoresis. Previously, he was Vice-President for Technology at the same company. His academic leadership includes serving as Director of the Institute of Molecular & Biomolecular Electronics and Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Bangor. Dr. Pethig is internationally recognized for his foundational contributions to the theory and applications of dielectrophoresis in biotechnology and medicine. He has co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications and several seminal books, including Dielectrophoresis: Theory, Methodology and Biological Applications (Wiley, 2017). His scientific achievements have been recognized with numerous honors, including the IEEE Innovation Prize, the AES Lifetime Achievement Award (2017), and fellowships from the Institution of Electrical Engineers, Institute of Physics, and the Learned Society of Wales. As of 2025, his work on dielectrophoresis remains the most cited in the field, with multiple former Ph.D. students among the top contributors globally. Dr. Pethig continues to influence the field through writing, mentoring, and scientific advisory roles.