Liwei Lin

Professor; James Marshall Wells Academic Chair in Mechanical Engineering

Dept of Mechanical Engineering

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(510) 643-5495

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Research Bio

Liwei Lin is a pioneering researcher in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), whose work has significantly advanced the design and manufacturing of tiny sensors and actuators used in medical devices, consumer electronics, and energy systems. His research bridges mechanical engineering and nanotechnology to create devices that interface the physical and digital worlds at microscopic scales. Lin has made foundational contributions to the fabrication of microscale structures using techniques such as silicon surface/bulk micromachining and micro molding processes.

Best known for developing innovative MEMS-based energy harvesters and biomedical sensors, Lin’s work enables self-powered devices and point-of-care diagnostic tools. His research has facilitated breakthroughs in wearable technologies, implantable sensors, and sustainable microsystems.

An expert in micro/nanofabrication and MEMS design, Lin is a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. He also serves as Co-Director of the Berkeley Sensor & Actuator Center, a leading research consortium in MEMS innovation. Lin is a Fellow of the ASME and has received numerous honors for his scholarly impact, including the NSF CAREER Award and multiple Best Paper Awards from international conferences.

Research Expertise and Interest

nanotechnology, MEMS (microelectromechanical systems), NEMS (nanoelectromechanical systems), design and manufacturing of microsensors, microactuators, development of micromachining processes, silicon surface/bulk micromachining, micromolding process

In the News

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From COVID to Cancer, At-Home Test Spots Disease With Startling Accuracy

A new technology created by UC Berkeley engineers uses the "coffee-ring effect," paired with plasmonics and AI, for rapid diagnostics.

A photo of a small, white, propeller-shaped object that is held between the tips of two fingers. The object is smaller than the width of a fingernail.

UC Berkeley Engineers Create World’s Smallest Wireless Flying Robot

The bumblebee-inspired robot, less than a centimeter in diameter, can hover, change directions and even hit small targets.

Bakar Fellows Program Names Seven New Spark Award Recipients

From artificial ligaments and a novel approach to cancer treatment to “soft” batteries and a way to give voice to silent speech, new innovations from UC Berkeley faculty are getting a big vote of support from the Bakar Fellows program. Seven faculty members have been selected to receive the 2022 Bakar Fellows Spark Award, which is designed to accelerate faculty-led research and produce tangible, positive societal impact through commercialization.

Slicing the Way to Wearable Sensor Prototypes

Engineers at UC Berkeley have developed a new technique for making wearable sensors that enables medical researchers to prototype test new designs much faster and at a far lower cost than existing methods.

A small metallic robot, about the size of a cockroach, sits on a pile of small bricks.

Insect-Sized Robot Navigates Mazes With the Agility of a Cheetah

Many insects and spiders get their uncanny ability to scurry up walls and walk upside down on ceilings with the help of specialized sticky footpads that allow them to adhere to surfaces in places where no human would dare to go. Engineers at the University of California, Berkeley, have used the principle behind these some of these footpads, called electrostatic adhesion, to create an insect-scale robot that can swerve and pivot with the agility of a cheetah, giving it the ability to traverse complex terrain and quickly avoid unexpected obstacles.

A photo of the small robot, which looks like a thin piece of metal, with a quarter for scale.

You Can’t Squash This Roach-Inspired Robot

If the sight of a skittering bug makes you squirm, you may want to look away — a new insect-sized robot created by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, can scurry across the floor at nearly the speed of a darting cockroach.

An illustration shows hydrogen gas bubbling off of a sheet of metal carbide

Researchers Use Jiggly Jell-O to Make Powerful New Hydrogen Fuel Catalyst

A cheap and effective new catalyst developed by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, can generate hydrogen fuel from water just as efficiently as platinum, currently the best — but also most expensive — water-splitting catalyst out there.

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Berkeley Engineers Develop Origami Electronics From Cheap, Foldable Paper

UC Berkeley engineers have fabricated foldable electronic switches and sensors directly onto paper, along with prototype generators, supercapacitors and other electronic devices.

graphic showing milk carton cap and electronic diagram

3D-Printed ‘Smart Cap’ Uses Electronics to Sense Spoiled Food

It might not be long before consumers can just hit “print” to create an electronic circuit or wireless sensor in the comfort of their homes. UC Berkeley engineers are expanding their portfolio of 3D printing technology to include electrical components, such as resistors, inductors, capacitors and integrated wireless electrical sensing systems.

New Fiber Nanogenerators Could Lead to Electric Clothing

In research that gives literal meaning to the term "power suit," UC Berkeley engineers have created energy-scavenging nanofibers that could one day be woven into clothing and textiles. The technology could eventually lead to wearable 'smart clothes' that can power hand-held electronics through ordinary body movements.

Featured in the Media

Please note: The views and opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or positions of UC Berkeley.

August 1, 2019

Berkeley researchers create cockroach-inspired robots

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Teaching

Courses taught during the three most recent semesters

2026 Spring

Introduction to Nanotechnology and Nanoscience [MECENG 118 - 001]
Introduction to Nanotechnology and Nanoscience [MECENG 218N - 001]
Group Studies, Seminars, or Group Research [MECENG 298 - 018]
Individual Study or Research [MECENG 299 - 018]

2025 Fall

Introduction to MEMS (Microelectromechanical Systems) [MECENG 119 - 001]
Introduction to Microelectromechanical Systems [MECENG 219 - 001]
Group Studies, Seminars, or Group Research [MECENG 298 - 017]
Individual Study or Research [MECENG 299 - 017]

For additional information, please consult the UC Berkeley course schedule.