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A New Clue to How Life Originated

August 12, 2019

A new study published in PNAS from the lab of Sarah Keller, MolES faculty member and UW professor of chemistry, was recently featured in The Atlantic. [...]

Scientists can now control thermal profiles at the nanoscale

August 9, 2019

In a paper published online July 30 by the journal ACS Nano, David Masiello, MolES faculty member and professor of chemistry, and colleagues from Rice University and Temple University, report a new breakthrough on controlling the thermal profiles of materials at the nanoscale. The team of researchers designed and tested an experimental system that uses a near-infrared laser to actively heat two gold nanorod antennae "” metal rods designed and built at the nanoscale "” to different temperatures. The nanorods are so close together that they are both electromagnetically and thermally coupled. Yet the team measured temperature differences between the rods as high as 20 degrees Celsius. By simply changing the wavelength of the laser, they could also change which nanorod was cooler and which was warmer, even though the rods were made of the same material. [...]

First-ever visualizations of electrical gating effects on electronic structure could lead to longer-lasting devices

July 17, 2019

For the first time, scientists have visualized the electronic structure in a microelectronic device, opening up opportunities for finely tuned, high-performance electronic devices. UW physicists David Cobden and Xaiodong Xu, in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Warwick, developed a technique to measure the energy and momentum of electrons in operating microelectronic devices made of atomically thin "” so-called 2D "” materials. Their findings, published last week in the journal Nature could lead to new, finely tuned, high performance electronic devices. [...]

Elizabeth Nance is one of six UW professors to a receive 2019 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists & Engineers

July 9, 2019

The award, also known as the PECASE, is the highest honor given by the U.S. government to early-career scientists and engineers "who show exceptional promise for leadership in science and technology." [...]

Hail to the fiber king

June 26, 2019

Hao Shen pioneered the creation of self-assembling protein fibers from scratch in the lab of UW Biochemistry professor David Baker. Hao was part of our first cohort of students and is the first student to receive a PhD in molecular engineering from the University of Washington. Read more about Hao's scientific journey! [...]

MAF to host biomedical characterization workshop July 29-31

May 23, 2019

Workshop attendees will learn the nuts and bolts of surface characterization including commonly used methods and data analysis techniques. Lectures are accompanied by demonstrations on MAF instruments to provide attendees with a better understanding of the materials covered in workshop lectures. [...]

Scientists use molecular tethers and chemical "˜light sabers' to construct platforms for tissue engineering

May 20, 2019

In a paper published May 20 in the journal Nature Materials, a research team led by MolES faculty member Cole DeForest unveiled a new strategy to keep proteins intact and functional in synthetic biomaterials for tissue engineering. Their approach modifies proteins at a specific point so that they can be chemically tethered to the scaffold using light. Since the tether can also be cut by laser light, this method can create evolving patterns of signal proteins throughout a biomaterial scaffold to grow tissues made up of different types of cells. [...]

Breakthroughs in 3D organ printing detailed in Science Magazine

May 3, 2019

Bioengineers have cleared a major hurdle on the path to 3D printing replacement organs with a breakthrough technique for bioprinting tissues. A research team led by MolES faculty member Kelly Stevens, assistant professor of bioengineering and investigator at the UW Medicine Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, has created exquisitely entangled vascular networks that mimic the body's natural passageways for blood, air, lymph and other vital fluids. The team published its findings May 3 in the journal Science. Their research was also featured in Newsweek, Forbes, among other outlets. [...]

MolES Faculty recognized for excellence in research and education

April 24, 2019

Christine Luscombe, MolES Education Director and Campbell Career Development Endowed Professor of Materials Science & Engineering, received the 2019 College of Engineering Faculty Award in Research. MolES faculty members Arka Majumdar, Assistant Professor in Electrical & Computer Engineering and Physics, and Elizabeth Nance, Clare Boothe Luce Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering, received Junior Faculty Awards in recognition of their leadership in research and education. [...]

MolES Director Pat Stayton developing targeted ‘radical cure’ for malaria

April 22, 2019

A research team led by University of Washington (UW) Distinguished Career Professor of Bioengineering and Molecular Engineering & Sciences (MolES) Institute Director Patrick Stayton has received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop a new therapeutic for the radical cure (prevention of relapse) of malaria. [...]

Synthetic peptide can inhibit toxicity, aggregation of protein in Alzheimer's disease, researchers show

April 19, 2019

A team led by MolES faculty member and bioengineering Professor Valerie Daggett has developed synthetic peptides that target and inhibit the small, toxic protein aggregates that are thought to trigger Alzheimer's disease. Dylan Shea, a molecular engineering PhD student in the Daggett lab, was the lead author on a new paper describing these findings, published April 19 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. [...]

Sarah Keller receives 2019 Cottrell Scholars STAR Award

April 11, 2019

MolES faculty member and UW Chemistry Professor Sarah Keller received a 2019 Cottrell Scholars STAR (Science Teaching and Research) Award from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement. The STAR Award "recognizes the outstanding research and educational accomplishments of Cottrell Scholars." Congratulations! [...]

Interested in all things molecular engineering? Introducing the new MolES Newsletter

April 10, 2019

We've launched a new quarterly newsletter! Learn about the latest advances in molecular engineering research at UW, the students and faculty in the MolES community, new programs and events, as well as updates from the MAF. [...]

New method to assess platelet health could help ER doctors

March 14, 2019

A research team at the University of Washington, including MolES faculty member Nathan Sniadecki, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has created a novel system that can measure platelet function within two minutes and can help doctors determine which trauma patients might need a blood transfusion upon being admitted to a hospital. The team published its results March 13 in Nature Communications. [...]

Computer-designed vaccine elicits potent antibodies to RSV

March 8, 2019

A recent publication from the Institute for Protein Design, located in the MolES building, describes a nanoparticle platform developed for a respiratory syncytial virus study that will also be applied to vaccine research on flu, HIV, and more. Seattle startup Icosavax will advance related clinical trials. [...]

It's all in the twist: Physicists stack 2D materials at angles to trap particles on the nanoscale, creating a unique platform to study quantum optical physics

February 26, 2019

Future technologies based on the principles of quantum mechanics could revolutionize information technology. But to realize the devices of tomorrow, today's physicists must develop precise and reliable platforms to trap and manipulate quantum-mechanical particles. In a paper published Feb. 25 in the journal Nature, a team of physicists led by MolES faculty member Xiaodong Xu, a Boeing Distinguished Professor of both physics and materials science and engineering, reports the development of a new system to trap individual excitons. [...]

Three awards from US Department of Energy to fuel UW solar cell research

January 16, 2019

Three teams led by University of Washington researchers have received competitive awards totaling more than $2.3 million from the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office for projects that will advance research and development in photovoltaic materials, which are an essential component of solar cells and impact the amount of sunlight that is converted into electricity. Two of the UW teams are led by MolES faculty members Scott Dunham, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and Hugh Hillhouse, a professor of chemical engineering. [...]

Surface analysis expert named Director of UW Molecular Analysis Facility

December 28, 2018

MolES is thrilled to announce that Lara Gamble, associate research professor in bioengineering at the University of Washington (UW), has been appointed director of the UW Molecular Analysis Facility (MAF), a fully-staffed instrumentation facility with extensive microscopy, spectroscopy, and surface science capabilities. Gamble will take over for long-time director Dave Castner, professor of bioengineering and chemical engineering at UW, who is retiring. Gamble has served as MAF associate director since 2013. She is also co-Director of NESAC/BIO, a preeminent surface science research center at UW, and was elected to the 2016-18 Board of Directors of the American Vacuum Society, an international community of scientists dedicated to promoting research in surface, interface, vacuum and thin film science. [...]

Scientists design protein filaments that snap themselves together like Lego blocks

November 8, 2018

Hao Shen, a molecular engineering PhD candidate in the lab of biochemistry Professor David Baker, was a lead author of a study published in Science describing the creation of self-assembling protein filaments from scratch. The filaments were built from identical protein subunits that snap together spontaneously to form long, helical, thread-like structures which could be used to create new materials for a range of applications, from diagnostics to nano-electronics. Learn more in a related Geekwire story! [...]

Navigating interdisciplinary research as a MolE PhD student

May 21, 2018

At the intersection of genetic engineering and nanoscience, second-year MolE PhD candidate Tyler (Ty) Jorgenson is developing a set of design rules for devices that join biology with solid-state materials. His research focuses on the self-assembly of solid-binding peptides and their interfaces with single-layer atomic (2D) materials, which he says is particularly promising for bioelectronic devices. [...]