NIST Fundamental Studies of Transduction Phenomena for Microscale and Nanoscale Chemical/Biochemical Sensors
NIST project aims to improve chemical/biochemical sensors by studying nanoscale interactions, surface phenomena, and signal transduction using advanced analytical tools.
This grant is no longer accepting proposals
NRC Research Associateship Programs has archived this opportunity.
Funder: NRC Research Associateship Programs
Due Dates: February 1, 2025 | May 1, 2025 | August 1, 2025
Funding Amounts: $82,764 stipend plus $3,000 travel allowance; typical appointment duration 2 years.
Summary: Supports postdoctoral research at NIST to advance fundamental understanding of nanoscale chemical and biochemical sensor transduction phenomena using advanced analytical techniques.
Key Information: Open to U.S. citizens with a doctoral degree; requires contacting a NIST Research Adviser prior to application; NIST participates in February and August review cycles only.
Description
This fellowship opportunity at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) focuses on fundamental studies of transduction phenomena in microscale and nanoscale chemical and biochemical sensors. The research aims to improve sensor capabilities by investigating interactional effects, interfacial phenomena, and signal transduction processes at the nanoscale. Sensors convert molecular interactions at gas-solid or liquid-solid interfaces into measurable signals that reveal the nature and concentration of chemical and biomolecular species.
The project encompasses a variety of sensing principles including chemiresistive, capacitive, electrochemical, field-effect transistor (FET), mass loading, and optical methods. Core processes studied include adsorption, diffusion, binding/hybridization, reaction, desorption, and charge transfer. Researchers employ advanced analytical tools such as x-ray and ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy, scanning probe microscopies, mass spectrometry, fluorescence and other optical methods, and local electronic transport measurements to monitor surface and interfacial phenomena.
Key research objectives include characterizing surface and molecular chemical and structural changes under varying environmental conditions and correlating these to sensor signal changes. The role of surface functionalization, morphological variation, and size effects in oxides, metals, and polymers on sensor sensitivity is a focus, as is the use of modulation techniques (temperature, light, voltage) to enhance selectivity. Additional interests include the effects of sensor material contact with device electrodes and the information content of transient signals under changing conditions. Experimental and theoretical studies on model systems such as crystalline samples, ordered ultrathin films, and assembled biomolecules or nanostructures (including aptamers) support mechanistic insights.
Keywords
Bio-interfaces, Biomolecules, Biosensors, Chemical sensors, Nanomaterials, Nanosensors, Optical methods, Photoemission spectroscopy, Scanning probe microscopy, Surfaces, Transduction.
