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Dr David Tsai

Dr David Tsai

Senior Lecturer
  • PhD (Biomedical Engineering), 2012, University of New South Wales
  • MBiomedE, 2007, University of New South Wales
  • BE (Software, Honours 1st Class), 2007 University of New South Wales
Engineering
Grad Sch: Biomedical Eng

I am a Senior Lecturer at UNSW, jointly appointed between Biomedical Engineering and Electrical Engineering, where I lead the Biomedical Microsystems Lab. We develop miniature microelectronic devices for at-scale, high-resolution brain machine interfaces, and for biosensing under the skin.

I have been supported by prestigious Fellowships from the NHMRC (CJ Martin) and the Kavli Foundation. My team's research has been continuously funded by the NHMRC since 2013, including an ongoing Ideas g...
Phone
+61 2 9065 8230
E-mail
d.tsai@unsw.edu.au
Location
Room 1003, Level 1, Bioscience South (E26)

(Selected) past and present fundings from the following external sources are gratefully acknowledged:

  • UNSW Office of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor 3Rs, 2025-2026 An open-source virtual nervous system (CI-B, \$73,231).
  • ARC (Australia), Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities LIEF, 2025 Hybrid Integration: Advancing Semiconductors, Quantum and Photonics ($680,000, LE250100147).
  • Department of Education, AEA Grant, 2025 Miniaturising and up-scaling of robotic tactile sensors with CMOS photonic pixel arrays (LE-A, $470,398, AE240300064).
  • Faculty of Engineering 2024 Goldstar Award, 2024 Stretchable wireless devices for spinal cord and peripheral nerve studies (CI-A, $30,000)
  • Faculty of Engineering International Lectureship, 2023 (CI-A, $7,500)
  • NHMRC (Australia) MRFF Stem Cell Therapies Mission, 2023 - 2024 Bioengineered tissue models to identify new antiarrhythmics for atrial fibrillation (CI-F, $1,000,564.4, APP2024443).
  • NHMRC (Australia) Ideals Grant, 2020 - 2024 Transparent, soft arrays for closed-loop, cellular-resolution brain recording and stimulation (CI-A, $1,008,374, APP1188414).
  • UNSW - Chinese Academy of Sciences Collaborative Research Mobility Grant, 2020 Developing next-generation neuromodulation techniques for the diseased retina (CI, $5,000, RG192640).
  • UNSW - Chinese Academy of Sciences Collaborative Research Bridging Grant, 2020 Paving the way for the next generation of retinal implants to treat blindness (Co-I, $50,000, RG192622).
  • Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) Transformative Data Program Grant, 2019 Standardisation of protocols for collecting linked images and electrophysiological data from in vitro and in vivo studies on neural cells and tissues (Co-I, $50,000, GFA-195)
  • Shanghai Jiao Tong University - UNSW Collaborative Research Fund Seed Grant, 2018 Optimizing the performance of retinal neuroprostheses with frequency modulation and electrical field shaping (Co-I, $50,000, RG173376)
  • NHMRC (Australia) Project Grant, 2015 – 2019 Selective activation of retinal networks in response to high-frequency electrical stimulation: a computational modelling, in vitro and in vivo study (Co-I, $916,231, APP1087224).
  • NHMRC (Australia) CJ Martin Fellowship, 2013 – 2017 Understanding neural circuits in the retina (CI, $367,948, APP1054058).
  • Kavli Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2012 – 2013 CMOS-based electronics for large-scale neural recording and stimulation (CI, $50,000).
  • Okinawa Computational Neuroscience Course Travel Scholarship, 2011

 

 

  • CMOS microelectronic brain machine interface (BMI) implants.
  • Miniature, implantable CMOS biosensors.
  • Micro- and nano-fabricated soft neural interfaces.
  • Computational tools and analytics for neural signals.
  • Neurobiology of electrical stimulation.
  • Vision prosthesis.