Biographical Sketches
Instructors
David Ginger (ginger@chem.washington.edu, Prof. in Chemistry) research focuses on the creation and study of nanostructured materials with unique optoelectronic and photonic properties. His group has pioneered novel scanning probe microscopy and lithography methods to further our understanding of nanostructured organic solar cells. His group is also developing bio-inspired assembly strategies for controlling near-field electromagnetic coupling between fluorophores and plasmon resonant nanoparticles. Ginger is also known for his work in the development of semiconductor nanocrystals for photovoltaics and LEDs, and as a pioneer of Dip-Pen Nanolithography methods for biomolecules. In recognition of his research and education efforts, he has been named a Research Corporation Cottrell Scholar.
René Overney (roverney@u.washington.edu, Prof. in Chemical Engineering) is known for his pioneering work in nanorheology and transport properties. His group has developed various SPM nano-characterization methods particularly applicable to polymer science and related technologies. The research of his group ranges from mesoscale material aspects in photonics, optoelectronics, electronic storage media, separation membranes, tribology to human implant technology. Overney coauthored one of the early textbooks in Nanoscience (Nanoscience, World Scientific 1998), and is teaching on the undergraduate and graduate level nanoscience related courses since 1996.
Mehmet Sarikaya (sarikaya@u.washington.edu, Prof. in Materials Science and Engineering) is known for his pioneering efforts and ideas in Molecular Biomimetics. By merging recent advances in molecular biology and genetics with state-of-the-art engineering and nanocharacterization from the physical sciences, his and his collaborators’ goal is to shift the biomimetic materials science paradigm from imitating Nature to designing materials to perform artificial nanofunctions. It is the intent to combine Nature’s proven molecular tools, such as proteins, with synthetic nanoscale constructs to make molecular biomimetics a full-fledged methodology. To this end, at the Genetically Engineered Materials Science and Engineering Center, an NSF-MRSEC, Sarikaya is directing a multidisciplinary team with diverse expertise to genetically select inorganic-binding short polypeptides, tailoring them via molecular manipulation and bioinformatics to make heterofunctional molecular constructs and using them as synthesizers, assemblers, and molecular erectors in materials science and medicine.
Teaching Assistants
Yeechi Chen (yeechi@u.washington.edu) is a graduate student working with Prof. David Ginger. She received her A.B. in physics from Dartmouth College in 2000, and her M.S. from the University of Washington in 2003. Her research focuses on the characterization of metal nanoparticle-modified fluorescence.
Hanson Fong (hfong@u.washington.edu) received his Ph.D. in Materials Science & Engineering from University of Washington in 2003. His is currently a post-doc fellow at the University of Washington working under the supervision of Drs. Mehmet Sarikaya and Martha Somerman on dental tissue regeneration. He is also the facilities coordinator for GEMSEC at the University of Washington.
Dan Knorr (knorrdb@u.washington.edu), currently a graduate student, is studying with Dr. René Overney and Dr. Alex Jen in the fields of atomic force microscopy and photonic materials. Dan earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in chemical engineering at Texas A&M University and then spent five years in the chemical industry as a process engineer with Chevron Phillips before returning to school to pursue a Ph.D.
Jason Killgore (killgoj@u.washington.edu) is a 5th year graduate student studying with Dr. René Overney. Jason received a BS degree from Western Washington University in 2002 and an MS degree from the University of Washington in 2005. His research focuses on using scanning probe microscopy to study local fluxes in nanocomposite polymer membranes. He expects to complete his Ph.D. in spring 2008.
Chris So (crso@u.washington.edu) graduated in 2006 with a BS from the Biochemistry program at the University of Washington. He is currently a graduate student in the Materials Science and Engineering Department working with Prof. Mehmet Sarikaya at the Genetically Engineered Materials Science and Engineering Center (GEMSEC). He is interested in bio-inspired materials and molecular biomimetics, particularly in using the AFM as a tool for their study.
Joseph Wei (wei@u.washington.edu) is a Chemical Engineering graduate student working in the lab of Prof. David Ginger. His current interests are applying Dip-Pen Nanolithography to template-directed organization in polymer thin films, assembling engineered polypeptides on inorganic surfaces, and direct patterning of positive etch resists. He received his BS (2002) and MS (2004) degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of Washington under the direction of Prof. René Overney on direct surface permeability analysis and nanoscopic material characterization of membrane systems using scanning probe microscopy.