Tony Jun Huang Wins ASME Per Bruel Gold Medal 

Tony Jun Huang, the William Bevan Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science (MEMS), has received the 2025 Per Bruel Gold Medal for Noise Control and Acoustics from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). 

Established in 1987, the Per Bruel Gold Medal for Noise Control and Acoustics honors Dr. Per Bruel, who pioneered the development of sophisticated noise and vibration measuring and processing equipment. This medal is given in recognition of eminent achievement and extraordinary merit in the field of noise control and acoustics. The achievement must include useful applications of the principles of noise control and acoustics to the art and science of mechanical engineering. 

Huang, who leads the Acoustofluidics Lab at Duke, was awarded the medal for his pioneering work on “acoustic tweezers” technology, which uses sound waves to manipulate micro/nano particles within liquid samples to address challenges in biological studies, medical diagnostics and therapeutics. Huang’s inventions on acoustic tweezers enable precise, dexterous, biocompatible manipulation of bioparticles across a wide range of length scales, from nanometers to centimeters, in complex fluids such as aqueous solutions, blood and sputum. With these abilities, these inventions have the potential to significantly exceed current industry standards and address many unmet needs in biology and medicine.