Through Fulbright, Ontiveros Will Engage in Tech, Cultural Exchange

Dr. Fernando Ontiveros, associate professor of biology in the School of Arts and Sciences at St. John Fisher University, has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award for the 2025-2026 academic year.

Given by the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, the program offers over 400 awards in more than 135 countries for U.S. citizens to teach, conduct research, and carry out professional projects around the world.  Ontiveros is the ninth faculty member at Fisher to be selected as a Fulbright Scholar.

Since joining the Biology Department at Fisher in 2012, Ontiveros has been awarded several grants to support research in the fields of bioengineering and microbiology, which include funding from the National Science Foundation and the National Geographic Society. Trained as an immunologist, his research blends his expertise in the fields of bioengineering, cell biology, and microbiology. For the past decade, he has worked to develop a novel methodology for the fabrication of microfluidics devices, which allows for the manipulation of biological fluids at the microscale. The device platform is called PETL, and it has the advantages of being inexpensive and amenable to use in a wide range of settings, from the classroom to research laboratories in academia and industry.

This new Fulbright appointment will send Ontiveros to San Jose, Costa Rica in January 2026 to work with researchers developing ways to extract metal from discarded lithium batteries. He will work with Dr. Yendry Corrales-Ureña, a researcher at the National Laboratory for Nanotechnology (LANOTEC). The lab is contributing to a global effort to advance strategies for the long-term, safe, and environmentally sound management of lithium batteries, with a focus on repurposing or recycling. In the LANOTEC Lab, Corrales-Ureña is using citric acid, derived from Costa Rica’s unique agriculture, to extract metal from the batteries. A mixture of citric acids – created from the agricultural waste of oranges, pineapples, and coffee – will aid bacteria that absorbs the metals from the batteries. From there, researchers can extract the metal and reuse it.

Ontiveros’ PETL technology will allow the team to test different conditions for bacterial metal absorption in effort to identify the most optimal conditions.

“Microfluidics devices reduce the time and cost associated with testing conditions by about tenfold, compared to traditional methods,” Ontiveros explained.

Ontiveros has been working with a team of Fisher student researchers throughout the summer and will continue this work in the fall semester to develop several protypes that can specifically meet the needs of the LANOTEC project. His aim is to bring two or three device designs to the laboratory in January that can be tested and refined.

He said the project is a wonderful example of the knowledge-sharing and cultural ambassadorship that the Fulbright program encourages. The collaboration offers practical benefits, such as cost-effective and accessible technology transfer, while also fostering mutual learning and appreciation of different challenges and opportunities researchers face.

“In addition to sharing expertise and technology, we are gaining knowledge about the unique resources and experiences of another country,” he said. “The bacteria we are working with is found only in Costa Rica, and this provides valuable opportunities for my research program and Fisher students to learn from different cultural and scientific environments.”

Throughout his career, Ontiveros has provided opportunities for students to engage in the research and technology development happening in his lab. The Fulbright experience will be no different.

“In addition to the work currently carried out in the lab, it is not impossible to think that in a year or two, Fisher students could be traveling to Costa Rica to advance this collaboration,” he said. “The Fulbright award opens possibilities for the future, as we explore more ways to apply bioengineering to diverse research efforts.”

Because of the potential benefits of this technology in both high and low resource environments, his work has led to the publication of several peer-reviewed papers, the filing of a provisional patent, and to several invitations to present his work in the United States and Mexico. He also maintains collaborations with researchers at the University of Rochester and the University of Notre Dame.

Ontiveros earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. He then attended the University of Rochester, where he earned a master’s degree in microbiology and immunology and a doctoral degree in immunology. From 2008 to 2012, he conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the University of Rochester.