Laurent FRANCIS

Professor, Electrical Engineering      UCLouvain, BE      Research Interests:  MEMS/NEMS sensors and actuators, Porous silicon and nanostructured materials, Biomedical and environmental microsystems,  Instrumentation and microfabrication, Harsh environments.

Laurent A. Francis is Professor of Electrical Engineering at UCLouvain, where he has led the Sensors, Microsystems and Actuators Laboratory of Louvain (SMALL) since 2007. He previously held research and visiting professor positions at the microelectronics research center imec (Belgium) and at the Université de Sherbrooke (Canada). Prof. Francis received his M.Eng., DEA, and Ph.D. in Applied Sciences from UCLouvain. His research focuses on micro- and nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS), porous silicon technologies, ultrathin functional materials, and bio-inspired sensing strategies, with applications in biomedical, environmental, and radiative systems. He has authored more than 160 peer-reviewed publications and several patents, and contributes to international scientific networks including the COST Action Netpore. He is a regular IEEE member and serves on the board of the Belgian National Committee on Biomedical Engineering.