Patrick Mercier, Ph.D.

Patrick Mercier, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, San Diego

As principal investigator of UCSD’s Energy-Efficiency Microsystems Lab, Patrick leads a research team that’s inventing and developing miniaturized electronic systems that interact with the body in new and interesting ways—for example, by measuring glucose levels in sweat or monitoring neural tissues at very high spatial resolutions. “One of the big challenges we are trying to address is building more functionality into wearables,” says the MIT grad. “Current wearables offer an exciting look into continuous, real-time activity of a user; however, this information is not that useful clinically.” He’s changing that. With physiochemical sensors, wearables offer a more comprehensive look into real-time wellness. Patrick says there’s no better place to be for his research than San Diego. “The life sciences field is not only very strong, but the high-tech wireless industry also has a big footprint,” he says. “Southern California is well positioned to be at the forefront of these intersecting industries.”