Werner Kuhr Group

Postdoctoral Job Openings

1. The development of standard format DNA sequencing with electrochemical detection utilizing electrophoresis in microfluidic chips. The prototype DNA sequencer would be essentially a laptop computer interfaced to a microfluidic chip, where the DNA is separated by capillary electrophoresis and detected electrochemically. The successful candidate will have experience in capillary electrophoresis of DNA (especially DNA sequencing) as well as an understanding of modern techniques in molecular biology.

2. The development of the same detection strategy coupled with DNA hybridization-based assays to produce microfluidic sensors capable of detection of very small amounts (approx. 10,000 molecules or less of DNA in complex media (i.e., blood or tissue samples). This is a multifaceted project which will involve the production of credit-card sized sensor arrays for the detection of pathogenic bacteria, cancer detection, genetic diseases and forensics) and general application in pharmaceutical testing and quality control.

3. The development of fast scan voltammetry and Megahertz AC impedance methods for the characterization of micron-sized polymer array elements. Ultimately, this will be used to characterize the nanofabrication of arrays of multi-molecular memories, where nanostructures are used in conjunction with sub-micron dimensional arrays of electrodes to generate electronic memories. We are developing new electrochemical methods that allow reading and writing these elements on a microsecond time scale, as well as characterizing these elements with AFM, fluorescence microscopy and other spectroscopic techniques.