Bai, Wubin

Assistant Professor
Kenan Laboratories A700
wbai@unc.edu

Research Interest:
Bioelectronics, Soft Materials, Advanced Manufacturing, Microsystems, Electronic Materials, Photonic Materials, and Biomaterials.

Research Description:
Our research focuses on both fundamental and applied study of soft materials and nanomaterials, develop fabrication approaches to enable hybrid integration of multi-materials towards high-performance electronic and photonic systems, innovate new technology that can intelligently immerse electronics and photonics into biological systems, and create new tools and devices to address unmet clinical needs and improve human healthcare. Our lab fosters a collaborative environment that converges expertise/interests from various backgrounds including materials science and engineering, electrical engineering, physics, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, and biomedical engineering. We provide hands-on learning, enjoy making practical tools, and aspire to transform scientific advancements into societal solutions.

Freeman, Ronit

Associate Professor
Caudill Laboratories 159
ronifree@email.unc.edu
919-962-5718

Research Interest:
Biomaterials and Self-Assembly

Research Description:
My lab focuses on developing bioinspired molecular constructs and material platforms that can mimic proteins and be programmed to respond to stimuli resulting from biomolecular recognition. Major efforts are directed to design peptide- and nucleic acid-based scaffolds or injectable nanostructures to create artificial extracellular matrices that can directly signal cells.

Nazockdast, Ehssan

Assistant Professor
Murray Hall 1115
ehssan@email.unc.edu
919-962-6454 ext 5097

Research Interest:
Physics of Soft and Living Materials, Fluid Dynamics, Computational Physics

Research Description:
We are interested in the physics of soft and squishy materials, especially the organization and mechanics of living cellular materials. We use theory and simulation in close collaboration with experiments to understand the complex structural and mechanical behavior of these systems. These questions and our approach to them are interdisciplinary and intersect several traditional fields, including cell biology, biophysics, fluid dynamics and applied mathematics.

Pégard, Nicolas

Assistant Professor
Caudill Laboratories 154
pegard@unc.edu
NA

Research Interest:
Computational optics, imaging systems, optical instrumentation and digital interfaces for systems biology and neuroscience

Research Description:
Our lab develops computer-driven optical instrumentation for applications in biology and neurosciences, beyond traditional imaging systems. Our research is interdisciplinary and welcomes backgrounds in optical engineering, computer sciences, biology or neurosciences. Our primary goal is to develop optical brain-machine interfaces and other technologies that use advanced light sources and detectors to probe and manipulate cellular functions deep into tissue at depths where traditional microscopy tools can no longer retrieve images.

Superfine, Richard

Taylor-Williams Distinguished Professor
Murray Hall 1113
superfine@unc.edu
919-843-8933

Research Interest:
Stimulus-Responsive Active and Living Materials

Research Description:
Superfine’s group studies stimulus-responsive active and living materials from the scale of individual molecules to physiological tissues, including DNA, cells and microfluidic-based tissue models. We develop new techniques using advanced optical, scanning probe, and magnetic force microscopy. We pursue diverse physiological phenomena from cancer to immunology to mucus clearance in the lung. Our work includes developing systems that mimic biology, most recently in the form of engineered cilia arrays that mimic lung tissue while providing unique solutions in biomedical devices.