Armin Volkel

Since joining PARC, Armin Volkel’s research has focused on the manipulation of micron-sized particles in external fields, with application to various printing technologies (including inkjet and Xerography), displays (Gyricon), and bio agent concentration. Currently he is leading the development of a novel barrier-free particle separator for water treatment applications such as pre-treatment for reverse osmosis or pathogen concentration for detection, and is PI on several commercial and government contracts.

Armin has an extensive background in the modeling and simulation of complex physical systems using both commercial and self-developed software packages. Other interests include the design, development, and implementation of control and user interfaces for research hardware prototypes, such as the PARC bookscanner, large-area sensor systems, and (micro-) fluidic devices for particle manipulation. Before joining PARC, Armin spent several years at the Xerox Research Centre of Canada where he developed a physical model for the growth kinetics of latex particulates into functional toner particles with well-defined properties.

Dr. Volkel received his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Bayreuth, Germany. While a graduate student he also worked at Los Alamos National Laboratories studying non-linear dynamics using CRAY super computers. Armin has authored more than 40 journal and conference publications and holds 45 patents with another 22 pending.