Andrew is currently Professor of Biochemical Engineering in the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences at ETH Zurich and Head of the Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering. Prior to his arrival in Zurich he was Professor of Chemical Nanosciences and Head of the Nanostructured Materials and Devices Section in the Chemistry Department at Imperial College London.
​
He obtained a 1st Class Degree in Chemistry and PhD in Molecular Photophysics from Imperial College London in 1995 and subsequently held a Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Department of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley working with professor Richard Mathies.
​
His research interests cover a broad range of activities in the general area of microfluidics and nanoscale science. Primary specializations include the development of microfluidic devices for high-throughput biological and chemical analysis, ultra-sensitive optical detection techniques, nanofluidic reaction systems for chemical synthesis, novel methods for nanoparticle synthesis, the exploitation of semiconducting materials in diagnostic applications, the development of intelligent microfluidics and the processing of living organisms.
​
Andrew has given approximately 350 invited lectures at conferences and universities in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia (including 75 plenary or keynote lectures), has published 275 papers in refereed journals, and co-authored two books. He currently sits on the Editorial Boards of Analytical Chemistry, Advanced Materials Technologies Chemistry World, The Journal of Flow Chemistry and Chem (Cell Press) He is also co-founder of Molecular Vision Ltd, an Imperial College spin-out company developing low-cost diagnostic devices for use in the doctor's surgery and in the home.
​
Science originating from the deMello group has been recognized through the award of the 2002 SAC Silver Medal (Royal Society of Chemistry), the 2009 Clifford Paterson Medal from The Royal Society, the 2009 Corday Morgan Medal (Royal Society of Chemistry) and the 2007 Clark Memorial Lectureship (California State University). Most recently Andrew was awarded the 2012 Pioneers of Miniaturization Lectureship by Dow Corning and the RSC.