In the interdisciplinary field of chemistry, physics, and biology, single-molecule techniques delineate the individual behavior of molecules, decoding the mysteries of biophysical processes at the most fundamental level. Specifically, we utilize optical tweezers to manipulate a single molecule and apply forces on it to measure the corresponding molecular extensions as well as force responses. The single molecule in extension is characterized by UV-Vis absorption, Raman, and/or fluorescence, yielding spectra that reflect the chemical environment of the molecules functional groups, providing molecular-level mechanistic insights.
The applicant is expected to spend time in the research lab for sample preparation, single-molecule pulling experiments, and data analysis.
1, understand the basic theory of optical tweezers.
2, familiar with basic biological sample preparation and the operation of optical tweezers.
3, learn how to analysis experimental data and explain the experimental results.