Research

Gray pattern of squares. Four of them are colored: Green, yellow, blue, and red.
Nanoscale image of blue circular cells surrounding a larger circular particle
Image of two people in the lab
Nanoscale image of square-shaped cells with three of them being colored in blue, red, and green on the left side
Nanoscale image of cylindrical cells, with three in the bottom right corner being colored red
Image of person at microscope
Nanoscale texture of circular cells grouped together, with a few blue cells forming a circle in the center
Nanoscale pattern of antibody cells in a linear orientation
Two people talking in the lab
Nanoscale image of circular cells in a disordered fashion
Nanoscale structure of square-shaped cells being connected by their corners in a linear fashion, with three being colored blue
Two people talking in the lab by the microscope
Nanoscale texture of small oval cells being connected together linearly
Nanoscale image of two cells being drawn together in a liquid medium
Person pipetting in the lab

Research Overview

Our group's central objective is to address unmet needs in medicine and society through the development of particles, materials and devices that controllably interact with biology and the environment. Our work cuts across fundamental topics, like exploring the relationship between the structure and function of materials outside of equilibrium, through to the detection, intervention and prevention of disease. 

We take inspiration from nature, particularly from the ways in which matter and energy interact to organize basic building blocks (e.g., molecules, proteins and cells) into hierarchical structures that encode well-defined behaviors, giving rise to materials that controllably dissipate energy, perform complex tasks and ultimately support life. Our group has three main research concentrations.