Amman- 18 May 2022
Dr. Jens Ducrée, a Full Professor of Microsystems in the School of Physical Sciences at Dublin City University in Ireland, conducted a presentation on Microfluidics – A Paradigm for Decentralized Science in a Blockchain-Enabled Metaverse within the German Jordanian Discourse Series at the German Jordanian University (GJU) in the presence of the President of GJU Prof. Ala’aldeen Al-Halhouli, academic members and students.
Dr. Ducrée explained that the 21st century experiences a rapid emergence of a bundle of highly disruptive, “exponential” technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), Big Data, Digital Manufacturing, the Internet of things (IoT), and cloud computing. In parallel, and still widely unnoticed, a 5th industrial revolution is making major strides: the internet which coined the age of information over the last three decades is substantially upgraded by the distributed ledger technology (DLT) “blockchain”; decisively, this “Web3” provides an intrinsic value transaction layer to the present, highly centralized Web2.0. In parallel, virtualization will increasingly permeate all aspects of our private lives and economies, which is touted to lead to a so-called “singularity”.
He presented how the highly interdisciplinary field of microfluidics is ideally suited to explore the huge potential arising for “Decentralized Science (DeSci)”; comprehensive virtualization, e.g., through “Digital Twins”, and cryptoeconomic tokenization, e.g., through “Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)”, will seminally improve the organization, globalization, democratization, sustainability, and impact of projects in academic science as well as commercial Research & Technology Development (RTD) through “blockchain”, the fasted evolving technology mankind has ever seen.
The German Jordanian Discourse Series
The German Jordanian Discourse Series, a Transnational Education (TNE) Activity sponsored by DAAD, tries to highlight points of shared interest in the German and Jordanian scientific community. Based on the mission of the German Jordanian University to further enhance the excellent scientific relationship between the two countries, it offers a platform for exchange of ideas and opinions as well as aims at contributing to the development of both systems.
Biography
Dr. Jens Ducrée holds a Full Professorship of Microsystems in the School of Physical Sciences at Dublin City University in Ireland. He has been the founding director of FPC@DCU – Ireland’s first Fraunhofer Project Centre. Dr. Ducrée is also academic member of the National Centre for Sensor Research, the 3U Joint Institute of Global Health, a principal investigator at Biodesign Europe, the Institute of Ethics, and the Government Blockchain Association.
The main part of his research is directed towards novel microfluidic systems and associated actuation, detection, fabrication and instrumentation technologies for the integration, automation, miniaturization and parallelization of bioanalytical protocols.
Dr. Ducrée has a keen interest in the industrialisation of larger-scale integrated Lab-on-a-Chip systems which is boosted by platform strategies including design-for-manufacture and scale-up, digital twin concepts for virtual manufacture, testing, characterisation and optimisation, failure mode and effects analysis, and standardisation to expedite and de-risk research & technology development.