Bio

Dr. Castro is dedicated to fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and mentoring the next generation of engineers and researchers. His lab (https://www.utep.edu/engineering/castrolab/) provides a dynamic and supportive environment for students to engage in cutting-edge research and develop advanced skills in bioengineering and microfabrication. Castro Lab's research is focused in biomedical devices and biosensors implementing additive manufacturing, MEMS, nanotechnology, and semiconductors fabrication principles.

Awards and Honors

• Rising STARs Program - LEER Funding at The University of Texas System (09/01/2024)
• Army Research Laboratory Student Travel Grant - Army Research Laboratory (06/01/2024-06/30/2024)
• Outstanding Paper Award Finalist at the Hilton Head 2024: A Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems Workshop - Transducers Research Foundation (06/01/2024-06/30/2024)
• First Place, Best Paper Award at the Multi-functional Integrated System Technology (MIST) meeting - Multi-functional Integrated System Technology Center (12/01/2023-12/31/2023)
• Florida International Leadership Conference Funding - UCF Global (02/01/2023-02/28/2023)
• Outstanding Student Poster Presentation Award Finalist at the IEEE MEMS Conference - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (01/01/2023-01/31/2023)
• Daniel D. Hammond Engineering Scholarship - Daniel D. Hammond Endowment (08/01/2022-08/31/2022)
• Army Research Laboratory Student Travel Grant - Army Research Laboratory (06/01/2022-06/30/2022)
• Latin American and Caribbean Scholarship - UCF Global (01/01/2022-01/31/2022)
• NSTC Student Travel Award - NanoScience Technology Center at UCF (01/01/2022-01/31/2022)
• Outstanding Student Paper Award Winner at the IEEE MEMS Conference - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (01/01/2022-01/31/2022)
• SGA Conference Registration and Travel Funding - Student Goverment Association at UCF (01/01/2022-01/31/2022)
• UCF Graduate Presentation Fellowship - Graduate Studies at UCF (01/01/2022-01/31/2022)

• Ph D in Electrical Engineering, University of Central Florida (2023)
• MSEE in Electrical Engineering, University of Central Florida (2022)
• MBA in Business Administration, University of Valle (2018)
• BSEE in Electronics Engineering, National University of Colombia (2007)

Publications

• Development of a Cost Effective, Hybrid Microfabricated, All Glass Hermetic Package for Wireless In Vitro and Wearable Electrode Array Systems in Low Resource Settings IEEE Sensors (2025), Faisal Kashem, Jorge E. Manrique Castro, Omar Torres, Surbi Tidke, Cacie McDorman, Gary Davies, Swaminathan Rajaraman.
• Impedance Modeling Providing Enhanced Understanding of Mitochondrial Bioenergetics Utilizing a Novel 3D Microelectrode Array-Based Biosensor IEEE Transducers (2025), Yamilet Rocha, Randall James, Akash Patel, James Hickman, Swaminathan Rajaraman, Jorge E. Manrique Castro.
• Wearable Sweat-Based Ion-Selective Sensor for Continuous Monitoring of Hydration IEEE Sensors (2025), Gustavo Medina, Luis Rodriguez, Jorge E. Manrique Castro.
• Handheld, Biomimetic, Phase-Change Microsystems for Breath Condensate-Based Point-of-Use Diagnostic Assays IEEE Sensors Journal 24 24 (2024), Pablo Morales-Cruz, Ji Chang, Maria Tregansin, Joshua Fnu, Lei Zhai, Laurene Tetard, Jorge E. Manrique Castro, Swaminathan Rajaraman.
• Hybrid Microfabrication, and Electrochemical Analysis of Nonagonal 2d/3d Microelectrode Arrays, with Multi-Metallic Interfaces 22nd International Conference on Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems (Transducers) (2024), Charles Didier, Maria Garcia-Chalbaud, Julia Orrico, Jorge E. Manrique Castro, Swaminathan Rajaraman.

Presentations

• Direct Ink Writing and its Role in Energy Harvesting for Wearable Devices (2025), Volume Albuquerque, NM, Jorge E. Manrique Castro.
• Wearable Sweat-Based Ion-Selective Sensor for Continuous Monitoring of Hydration (2025), Volume Pamplona, Colombia, Jorge E. Manrique Castro, Gustavo Medina.
• Packaging Development with an Integrated Wireless System for an Electrochemical Cardiac Biosensor (2024), Volume Tampa, FL, Jorge E. Manrique Castro.
• Microfabrication and Characterization of a Novel 3D Mitochondrial Biosensor (2024), Volume Hilton Head Island, SC, Jorge E. Manrique Castro.
• Material Integration Challenges Towards Smart Orthotics - II (2024), Volume Orlando, FL, Jorge E. Manrique Castro.

• Army Research Laboratory Travel Grant (06/02/2024 - 06/06/2024) Army Research Laboratory
• Army Research Laboratory Travel Grant (06/05/2022 - 06/09/2022) Army Research Laboratory