Led by physics professor Yiping Zhao, the Smart Biochips and Sensing Systems research “Spark Hub” at the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and the Office of Research is building on UGA’s internationally recognized strengths in chemical and biological sensing. Researchers are developing precision sensor-based tools that rapidly detect disease, monitor health, and track environmental conditions.

The Smart Biochips and Sensing Systems hub is one of 12 multidisciplinary Spark Hubs at Franklin advancing new lines of discovery-driven research and engagement. Together, these hubs enable the college to respond nimbly to emerging opportunities that may not align with existing structures to create new collaborative pathways for exchange across the college, the broader institution, and external resources - all while harnessing the connective power of the “&” that is at the heart of what happens at Franklin.

“The Spark Hub initiative provides an ideal framework to bring together multidisciplinary research communities that are often separated by departmental boundaries,” said Marshall Shepherd, Franklin's associate dean for research, scholarship, and partnerships.

Zhao’s work connects physics, chemistry, engineering, biology, and data science. In 2008, he and colleagues from departments across campus initiated and designed the UGA bio-microfabrication cleanroom facility. Completed in 2010, the facility enables advanced micro- and nano-fabrication technologies in support of biotechnology research at UGA. 

The hub focuses on solving challenges in public health, biosecurity, agriculture, and environmental monitoring by developing fast, portable, and highly sensitive detection technologies. Short term, the team is developing chip-based biosensors, portable diagnostic devices, and semiconductor-based sensing technologies. Long term, the team plans to advance more integrated systems, such as lab-on-a-chip platforms, AI-driven bioanalysis tools, and bio-integrated chips that can model and monitor complex biological environments. The ultimate goal of this research is to create small, smart systems that can quickly detect pathogens, monitor biological processes in real time, support precision medicine, and track environmental and agricultural conditions.

“The Spark Hub initiative presents an important opportunity to revitalize and leverage infrastructure by recruiting new faculty, strengthening cross-department collaborations, and building a coordinated research program focused on chip-based biotechnology, biosensing, and microfluidic systems,” Zhao said.

The hub’s work is already achieving significant visibility and impact. Zhao’s team, in collaboration with Tho Nguyen from the department of physics and astronomy, developed world-class hydrogen sensors for clean energy and safety monitoring, published in Nature Communications  in December.

Building on these advances, the Smart Biochips and Sensing Systems hub is further supported by SpectraGuru, an open-source platform developed by Xianyan Chen from the College of Public Health. SpectraGuru provides online tools and AI-driven methods to analyze, organize, and interpret a key type of sensing data. It enables researchers to convert raw sensor signals into meaningful outputs, such as diagnostic results. SpectraGuru is also fostering global scientific collaboration. Since its release in November 2024, the platform has attracted more than 694,000 visits from researchers across 95 countries, demonstrating strong international interest. To date, it has processed more than 500,000 spectra and generated more than 31,000 spectral analyses. The platform continues to grow as researchers contribute new datasets, analytical tools, and AI-powered capabilities.

Franklin’s Smart Biochips and Sensing Systems hub is an example of how multidisciplinary collaboration has a large impact, even on such a small scale.