ThinkQuest Questionnaire

Tell us some general information about yourself/your job.

(Scientist, Applied Biosystems, U.S.)

I have a PhD in Organic Chemistry from Princeton and have been with Applied Biosystems (a SF Bay Area biotech instrumentation company) for 20 years, where I am now a Scientific Fellow. My major responsibilities are to monitor the health-related biotech scientific literature to access emerging areas of science and technology that represent opportunities for my company to invent or acquire new products and therefore grow our business. In this regard, we have recently begun a collaboration with Eagle R&D to explore the possibility of nanopore analysis of biomolecules using field-effect transistors (see accompanying 10/31/06 press release).

How would you define nanotechnology?

I think that the generally accepted definition of nanotechnology includes any technology that uses materials or components that have nano-scale dimensions, namely, less than 1 micron = 1x10-6 meters = 1,000 nanometers.

Is there anything that you can tell us about your work in the field of nanotechnology?

See press release mentioned above.

If you only had a few sentences to explain the usefulness and importance of nanotechnology to the general public, what would you say?

From my company’s perspective, nano-scale electronic devices such as that being investigated in our collaboration with Eagle R&D may allow identification of single biomolecules, which is the ultimate in sensitivity, and may be accomplished in a relatively small, for example, hand-held battery-operated device that can be used outside the lab, for example, in emergencies to detect biohazards.

What reasonable advances do you think we (the world) will make in the field of nanotechnology in the next 10 years? 20 years? 50?

The device envisaged above could be a reality within 10 years.

What are some of the top challenges in the field of nanotechnology right now?

Methods for precisely fabricating nano-scale devices.

What are some research projects (and applications) that your department is currently working on?

See press release.

What areas of science should people study if they want to go into nanotechnology?

Material science or applied physics.

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