May 12, 2025
Let’s introduce Dr. Rafael Song to our audience! Who are you? If you had to describe yourself in 1 sentence, what would you say?
A dedicated bioengineer trying to develop innovative translational medical devices for better healthcare in the future.
What are the most
A- Fascinating research
B- Impactful research
C- Fun and whimsical research
You are leading these days?
Fascinating research: We are building a brain organoid on a chip to understand human brain and neurodegenerative diseases in vitro.
Impactful research: A point-of-care diagnostic device for the early detection of cardiovascular diseases and various cancers.
Fun and whimsical research: Research on soft tissue fracture mechanics, such as lizard tail autotomy or lemon.
Organoids grown from skin cells… turned into neurons?! And you are testing these mini-brains for pain management and drug discovery?
Organoids are self-assembled, three-dimensional aggregates generated from pluripotent stem cells, featuring cell types and architectures that resemble those of organs at an embryonic stage. For this reason, they have emerged as novel model systems to investigate human organ development in health and disease. We are currently growing brain organoids to test various implantable devices and understand neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
Lizard tails and lemons! What can they teach us about designing better materials?
There are numerous clinical needs for adhesives, such as wound closure, tissue repair, hemostasis, and fixation of implants. However, attaining optimum adhesion to soft tissues while minimizing tissue damage presents a considerable clinical challenge, especially when tissues are wet. When we turn to nature for potential solutions, natural adhesives like lizard tails demonstrate elegant and sophisticated attachment to almost any surface. These adhesives show high adhesion capabilities and can be detached quickly (tunable adhesion) and reused repeatedly. In lemon peel, we find a foam-like material in the rind that is tough to break. This material has the potential to be used in the development of a new biomaterial that can absorb shock and resist cracking.
AI…AI…AI…is AI doing anything useful in your field of bioengineering?
AI is impacting every field of engineering, including bioengineering. We expect a significant impact in healthcare-related fields, where medical images, biosignals, and omics data are analyzed and utilized for personalized medicine.
If you could design an experiment without any limitations of time or money…what would it be?
As a bioengineer, I would love to design an experiment to grow and culture any human organ synthetically.
If you could have a superhero power. What would it be?
Superhero power to understand animal languages.
Mystery dinner party…Dead or Alive, who would be 3 guests you would invite to your dinner party?
Charles Darwin, Edward Osborne Wilson, Jared Diamond
Question to you from our previous guest Dr. Michele André (Director of the Laboratory of Applied Bioacoustics, UPC): “What part of the world still speaks to you in a language you haven’t yet learned to understand?"
All animals in nature speak languages I would love to understand.
Dr. Zina Cinker, Chief Creator of XPANSE, moderated a high-stakes conversation with leaders from energy, finance, and deep tech on why they’re investing in quantum now - and how it’s accelerating the UAE’s national strategy.
MATTER - parent company of XPANSE - had the honor of partnering with H.E. Arthur Mattli, Swiss Ambassador to the UAE, for the reception of Switzerland’s high-level scientific delegation to Abu Dhabi and contributing from its network to a guest list of select scientists and institutional leaders from the UAE’s academic and innovation ecosystem.
During Dr. Cinker’s fireside chat with Dr. Merritt Moore, they explored the dynamic intersection of creativity, science, and the arts, bridging these disciplines to open new opportunities for strategic connections, innovation, and cultural expression
A dedicated bioengineer trying to develop innovative translational medical devices for better healthcare in the future.
In collaboration with Art Proxima by MATTER, Jan Loop, Professor of Early Modern History and Religious Cultures at University of Copenhagen and Dr. Reto Sorg, Lecturer in Modern German Literature, University of Lausanne, the 2nd edition of the “XPANSE in the Desert” workshop took place on April 16.
I am a quantum enthusiast with a passion for politics, and a hopeless idealist dedicated wholeheartedly to the Quantum Social Lab - where science meets society, and curiosity meets creativity.
As a bioacoustician, I have dedicated my work to exploring how sounds from Nature can help us better understand and protect wildlife and restore biodiversity.
Dr. Graham Lau is an astrobiologist, meditation guide, science communicator, and writer with a vision for exploring the cosmos and building the future of our civilization here on Earth.
I am, at heart, an explorer driven by an insatiable curiosity to venture where no one has gone before, whether that’s unraveling the mysteries of the cosmos or tackling profound questions about the origin of life and the nature of consciousness.
In partnership with NYU Abu Dhabi, MATTER brought together new media artists from our initiative, ART Proxima, and desert scholars from NYU Abu Dhabi for the “XPANSE in the Desert” Workshop, in preparation tp the next theme of XPANSE 2nd Edition - The Desert.
In partnership with Layers of Reality at IDEAL Barcelona, 3rd MATTER Annual Meet-Up was held, bringing together MATTERSPHERE, XPANSE, and PUZZLE X partners & friends.
XPANSE advisory council members and key partners gathered for an evening of deep discussion on the next theme of XPANSE 2nd Edition and the desert’s profound significance.
I am curious guy working and learning in science, technology and commercial development.
In my whole career as a biophysicist, brain scientist and now as biotechnologist, I have always been most productive at the interface between science - exploring and understanding – and Technology - designing and building.
I am a dedicated materials scientist passionate about pioneering advancements in smart and sustainable materials that will redefine industries and improve everyday life.
I’m a mathematician who got lost and ended up finding interesting questions in physics and philosophy and spends a lot of time thinking about the universe.
Professor Yahya Zweiri, Department of Aerospace Engineering, and Director of the Advanced Research & Innovation Center (ARIC) at Khalifa University, UAE.
I’m a computational scientist on a mission to push the boundaries of knowledge using the unmatched power of supercomputers and simulation
I am a scientist. With over 15 years of experience in quantum photonics labs, and a passion for the Space sector, I focus on merging the best of both worlds to enhance our everyday life.
I am a scientist. With over 15 years of experience in quantum photonics labs, and a passion for the Space sector, I focus on merging the best of both worlds to enhance our everyday life.
I am the founder and CEO of Cortical Labs. I was previously the CTO and founder of a medtech company making Internet-connected medical devices called CliniCloud. Before CliniCloud, I was a medical doctor doing my residency in Emergency Medicine. I am also a software developer and have worked on apps and machine learning research.
I am a Space scientist. Whatever flies in outer Space, I am in!
My name is Arben Merkoçi and I am ICREA Professor and Group Leader at Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, ICN2, in Barcelona.
I am a Materials Scientist and currently serve as the Group Leader of the Nanofabrication and Devices Group at the Center for Nanoscale Materials, Argonne National Laboratory.
Since I was five years old I have been fascinated by using computers to extend human capabilities. My company makes a platform that supports this goal and then we use this platform to implement solutions for companies around the world. (You could say I support human augmentation / cyborgification).
I am a neurobiologist working to understand how the human brain is built in health and disease.
I am a materials science researcher who is fascinated by challenges in Space that are cross-cutting and are useful on earth as well.