Physics

Dr. Philipp Gutruf is an Assistant Professor in the Biomedical Engineering Department at the University of Arizona and leads the Gutruf Lab. He received his postdoctoral training in the Rogers Research Group at Northwestern University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) where he developed a broad set of soft, highly miniaturized wireless battery free tools for the characterization and stimulation of biological systems. Dr. Gutruf received his PhD in 2016 at RMIT University where he worked on oxide based stretchable electronics, sensors and photonics, with emphasis on device fabrication and material concepts for intrinsically stretchable devices. He has authored over 23 journal articles and received 4 patents and his work has been highlighted on 6 journal covers. He has also been the recipient of prestigious scholarships and fellowships such as the International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (IPRS) and the Australian Nano Technology Network Travel Fellowship. The Gutruf Lab`s research focuses on creating devices that intimately integrate with biological systems by unifying innovations in soft materials, photonics and electronics to create systems with broad impact on health diagnostics and neuroscience.

Joseph C. Watkins is Professor of Mathematics and Chair of the Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Statistics at the University of Arizona. Dr. Watkins has published works in the foundations of the theory of probability and has collaborated extensively with researchers in a variety of the life sciences, notably, genetics, biophysics, anthropology, bacteriology, entomology, and biochemistry. He was recognized in 2009 by the College of Science for his contributions in being named a Galileo Circle Fellow. Dr. Watkins work includes both new results in stochastic modeling and in both the theoretical and practical aspects of statistics. His research interests are broad, from understanding the mechanism of the Africanization of the honeybee to the dynamics of single molecule motors to the ancient structure of human populations in Africa. Dr. Watkins has been a leader at the University of Arizona in the interdisciplinary training at the biology/math interface both at the undergraduate and graduate level. He has been a co-investigator for an IGERT training grant and is a member of the steering committee for an NIH training grant housed in an Applied Mathematics Program. In addition, Dr. Watkins serves as the chair of the Undergraduate Biology Research Program’s Biomath Committee.

Judith Su is an Assistant Professor in Biomedical Engineering and an Assistant Professor of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona. She is also an Associate Member of the University of Arizona Cancer Center. Judith received her B.S. and M.S. from MIT in Mechanical Engineering and her Ph.D. from Caltech in Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics. Her background is in imaging, microfabrication, and optical instrument building for biological and medical applications. In general, her research interests are to develop new imaging, sensing, and rheological techniques to reveal basic biological functions at the molecular, cellular, and tissue levels. Recently her work has centered on label-free single molecule detection using microtoroid optical resonators with a focus on basic research, and translational medicine through the development of miniature field portable devices.

My research interests relate to the theoretical chemistry and biophysics of complex systems. Current areas of funded research include the study of protein dynamics in enzymatic reactions, quantum tunneling in enzymatic reactions, modeling of the cardiac thin filament with application to disease mechanism, and the study of the properties of micelles created from green surfactants. I am chair elect of the biological physics division of the American Physical Society, a Fellow of the APS and the AAAS.

Jeanne Pemberton, PhD, is a household name in chemistry departments across the country. Her research on surface vibrational spectroscopy has enabled fundamental advances in the field of analytical chemistry.In her 25 years at The University of Arizona, Pemberton has received more than 40 research grants. Among the many boards and committees she serves, she was the chair of the Math and Physical Sciences Advisory Committee at the National Science Foundation in 2004. In addition to receiving the College of Science Distinguished Teaching Award, she has also received the distinguished American Chemical Society Award for Excellence in Analytical Chemistry, which is among the highest honors in her field.Dr. Pemberton’s group research seeks to develop an understanding of chemistry in several technologically important areas including electrochemistry and electrochemically-related devices, chromatography, self-assembled monolayers, surfactant systems, and environmental and atmospheric systems. Methodologies employed for these efforts include surface vibrational spectroscopies, near-field optical methods, electrochemistry, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, LEED, work function measurements, ellipsometry, electron microscopy, and the scanning probe microscopies AFM and STM. Molecular nanoscale imaging exists prominently in the ability to elucidate structural and mechanistic details of surface and interfacial chemistry.Two images of transient intermediate states on NaCl in its reaction with the mineral acids, HNO3 and H2SO4, are shown below. These transient structures are formed en route to the final surface products of crystalline NaNO3 and NaHSO4, respectively.Specific interfacial systems of interest include electrochemical battery and electroluminescent and electrochromic devices, models of these devices fabricated and studied in ultrahigh vacuum, organized molecular assemblies at solid surfaces or air-water interfaces formed spontaneously or by self-assembly or Langmuir-Blodgett techniques, chromatography stationary phase systems, soil and mineral systems important in the fate and transport of environmentally important chemicals, and surfaces such as ice, mineral acids, and alkali halides important in atmospheric processes.

My research interests are in the field of theoretical image science with emphasis on medical imaging. I currently study task-based measures of image quality in which one must define the task the images are to be used for and the observer who will be performing this task, to properly measure and optimize the quality of images and imaging systems. We take the stance that imaging systems should be designed to best enable the observer to detect tumors and not base design decisions on resolution, contrast, etc. Topics in my research group include accurate system modeling, statistical modeling, observer performance metrics, signal-detection theory and general image science.

Raymond Kostuk, PhD, has a primary goal to investigate photonic techniques that enhance the capabilities of imaging, communication, sensing, and light collection and concentrator systems. His research includes fundamental and applied studies of photonic materials and devices, as well as system concepts that are based on photonics.

Ultrafast Electron Microscopy is a pivotal tool for imaging the atomic motion in real time and space. The temporal resolution, limited to a few hundreds of femtoseconds (one quadrillionth of a second) permits recording movies of only the relatively massive atomic motion. Imaging of microscopic motions outside the atomic nucleus in the real-time requires a significant enhancement in the temporal resolution. My research program aims to obtain the attosecond (one quintillionth of a second) temporal resolution in electron microscopy and establish the “Attomicroscopy” —the fastest camera ever known—which takes the field of ultrafast imaging to the next level. Attomicroscopy provides a real-time access to all microscopic motions outside the atomic core and radically change our insight into the workings of the microcosm. We will use the Attomicroscopy to image the electron motion in biochemical molecules such as amino acids, DNA, protein…. etc. Attosecond imaging and controlling of the electron motion at the atomic scale will open exciting new ground and prospects in multiple fields of basic science, biological applications, and information technology.

I am an MR physicist with extensive expertise in fast image acquisition methodology, pulse sequence design, and artifact correction for neuro MRI. In the past 18 years, I have developed novel approaches effectively addressing various types of challenging MRI artifacts, ranging from echo-planar imaging (EPI) geometric distortions, to susceptibility effect induced signal loss, to EPI Nyquist artifact, to motion-induced phase errors and aliasing artifacts in interleaved EPI based diffusion-weighted imaging. I am the original developer of multiplexed sensitivity encoded (MUSE) MRI, which can measure human brain connectivity in vivo at high spatial-resolution and accuracy, as shown in the publications listed below. More generally, my research involves the application of MR protocols in translational contexts. I have served as PI on NIH-funded R01, R21 and R03 grants, and have had extensive experience as a co-investigator on NIH-funded projects. The current focus of my research includes: * Development of high-throughput and motion-immune clinical MRI for imaging challenging patient populations * Imaging of neuronal connectivity networks for studies of neurological diseases * High-fidelity and multi-contrast MRI guided intervention * Characterization and correction of MRI artifacts * Signal processing and algorithm development * MRI studies of human development

Michael F. Brown is Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry at the University of Arizona. He is co-director of the Biological Physics Program and the Chemical Physics Program, and was a co-founder of the Biological Chemistry Program at the University of Arizona. He is internationally renowned for his work on the molecular basis of activation of G-protein-coupled receptors that are the targets for the majority of pharmaceuticals and medicines used by humans. The focus of his work is on biomembranes, with a particular emphasis on lipid-protein interactions in relation to potential drug targets involving membrane proteins. He is involved with investigation of the molecular basis of visual signaling involving rhodopsin. Moreover, Professor Brown is an expert in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. His activities in the area of biomolecular NMR spectroscopy involve the devolvement and application of methods for studying the structure and dynamics of biomolecules. Michael Brown has authored over 130 original research papers, 10 book chapters, 4 book reviews, and has published more than 275 abstracts. His current H-index is 43. He numbers among his coworkers various prominent scientists worldwide. He presents his work frequently at national and international conferences, and is the recipient of a number of major awards. Professor Brown's many contributions have established him as a major voice in the area of biomembrane research and biomolecular spectroscopy. He is frequently a member of various review panels and exerts an influence on science policy at the national level. Among his accolades, he is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; American Physical Society; Japan Society for the Promotion of Science; and the Biophysical Society. He is a Fellow of the Galileo Circle of the University of Arizona. Most recently, he received the Avanti Award of the Biophysical Society. This premier honor recognizes his vast and innovative contributions to the field of membrane biophysics, and groundbreaking work in the development of NMR techniques to characterize lipid structure and dynamics. Most recently he presented the 2014 Avanti lecture of the Biophysical Society.