We promote the development of the Microfluidics Industry
The Microfluidics Association promotes the development of the Microfluidics Industry supply chain and positively influences the growth and prosperity of its members.
Developing guidelines and standards
Who are we and what will we do for you?
The Microfluidics Association is founded by a group of organizations working in the field of microfluidics. The Association brings interested parties together to initiate and follow on actions to promote the microfluidic industry.
We have published a number of guidelines for microfluidics design and fabrication. We are developing more elaborate guidelines and standards during our workshops and in the MFA supported ISO group.
Association
Board members
Articles of Association
Contact information
John Crabtree & Nan Zhang
Email: secretary@microfluidics-association.org
Elsa Batista
Dr. Elsa Batista is a board member of Microfluidics Association. In this role she mainly deals with standardization related activities.
Elsa holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Universidade Nova de Lisboa / Faculty of Sciences and Technology (FCT/UNL),
She has been responsible for the Volume and Flow Laboratory of the Portuguese Institute for Quality (IPQ) since 2002, having joined the institute in 1999.
Dr. Batista serves as the convenor of the Volume Subgroup of EURAMET Technical Committee for Flow and is the Portuguese representative to this committee.
She is an active member of several international standardization committees, including ISO/TC 48, ISO/TC 28, ISO/TC 276, and ISO/TC 84, and currently chairs ISO/TC 48/SC 8.
In 2023, she received the CEN–CENELEC Standards + Innovation Award in the Individual Researcher category.
She is presently the coordinator of the EURAMET international project “MFMET – Establishing Metrology Standards in Microfluidic Devices II.”
John Crabtree
John Crabtree, P.Chem, PMP, Ph.D., is a Co-Secretary on the MFA’s Board. His role includes preparing presentations and Annual Reports for the MFA, and he also has organised and led several MFA workshops at microfluidics conferences.
John has 25+ years of experience in product R&D in microfluidics and analytical chemistry-based technology. He has a B.Sc. (University of Toronto) and Ph.D. (University of Alberta ) in analytical chemistry, and did his PDF with Andreas Manz at Imperial College. He spent a decade at Micralyne Inc. (now Teledyne MEMS, a glass/Si fabrication house) leading microfluidic product development projects. He then was PM for a multidisciplinary team developing PCR diagnostics at the U. of A., after which he founded his consultancy, HJC Consulting Inc., in 2012.
As a consultant, John supports microfluidic product development (PD), investment due diligence investigations, corporate acquisition on-boarding, IP review and landscaping, and corporate BD activities. John has authored over 20 publications, given numerous conference presentations and chaired symposia and workshops focussed on microfluidic technology and products. He is a Professional Chemist (P. Chem.), a Project Management Professional (PMP), and has sat on the boards of several industry groups and professional regulatory organisations.
Elfi Töpfer
Dr. Elfi Töpfer is a board member of the Microfluidics Association. In this role she mainly deals with marketing and outreach activities. Elfi holds a PhD in molecular and cell biology from the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, with research stays at Avanticell Science (Ayr, Scotland) and CNR Naples (Italy). She has been Head of Marketing and Technical Sales at microfluidic ChipShop, one of the pioneers in the development and manufacturing of microfluidic devices, since 2019, and additionally leads the R&D team for Cells & Droplets since 2024, focusing on Organ-on-Chip and droplet generation. She also serves as Vice Consortium Lead of UNLOOC, a Chips JU project spanning 51 partners developing novel Organ-on-Chip models.
Joshua Loessberg-Zahl
Joshua Loessberg-Zahl is a senior researcher at the University of Twente in the Netherlands where he helps lead the team developing the Translational Organ-on-Chip Platform (TOP). Joshua has 10 years of experience as an engineering scientist in the field of Organ-on-Chip. This includes a successful translation of microfluidic devices from the academic lab to cell-culture wet labs in industry. His work has a strong focus on the use of standards to accelerate this translation of MPS technology from academia to industry. Complementary to this, he fosters ongoing collaborations with TNO via the Bio-Microsystems Center and actively contributes to the ongoing ISO standardization efforts in the fields of Organ-on-Chip, MPS, and Microfluidics.
Darwin Reyes
Dr. Darwin R. Reyes is a principal investigator at NIST. His work focuses on a cutting-edge technology he developed in his lab that integrates manipulation and measurement tools within microfluidic/microphysiological systems. These tools enable Heart on a Chip, Kidney on a Chip, and cancer cell-based assays and analysis to advance regenerative medicine and therapeutics.
He is currently an Advisory Board member for the Lab on a Chip journal, the Chair and Co-Founder of the Microfluidics Association (MFA), and the Chair of the International Microphysiological (MPS) Society Standards Interest Group. He served on the Commissioning Panel of the Lab on a Chip journal, the MicroTAS Conference Executive Technical Program Committee, and the AES Board of Directors.
Dr. Reyes was selected in 2025 as an American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering’s (AIMBE) Emerging Leader. He also received the PML/NIST Outstanding Achievement in Measurement Services and Standards Award for his contributions to developing ISO standards through his work with the MFA.
Nan Zhang
Professor Nan Zhang is a Board Member and Co-Secretary of the Microfluidics Association and an Associate Professor at University College Dublin, Ireland, where he received his PhD in 2013. His research spans micro/nano manufacturing, atomic and close-to-atomic-scale manufacturing, precision microfluidics, nanomedicine manufacturing and characterisation, and molecular diagnostics.
Professor Zhang has published more than 90 SCI-indexed papers and holds four PCT patents under commercialisation. He has chaired major international events, including PRN 2019 and 2022, the 2025 Microfluidic Workshop on Standardisation, and Lipid Nanoparticle Asia 2026. He has delivered more than 30 keynote and invited lectures worldwide and contributes actively to international microfluidics standardisation. His honours include the 2024 NovaUCD Invention of the Year Award, the IAAM Scientist Medal, and the Society of Plastics Engineers Impact Award. He is also a founder and CTO of NanoFormiX, which develops high-throughput platforms for nanomedicine formulation and personalised cancer-vaccine manufacturing
France Hamber
Dr. France Hamber is a board member of Microfluidics Association. In this role she mainly deals with promoting standardization through MFA workshops and talks at microfluidics conferences.
France holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Université Claude Bernand, in Lyon.
She joined Air Liquide group where she held management positions in technology and innovation intensive fields.
Since 2015, she is the CEO of Fluigent, one of the pioneers and the leader in the development, the manufacturing and the commercialization of microfluidic fluid handling instruments. She is focused on building a successful and ambitious strategy, based on standardization of products and innovations to meet customer requirements, through miniaturization and automation, in the field of microfluidics, droplets, spatial Omics and NAM’s, among others.
