Programmable Phase Optics
Jobs
Lab-on-a-scope: an optical micro-mechanical manipulation system
The studies will be on development of new and innovative schemes for state-of-the-art optical micro-manipulation with pioneering applications in biotechnology, micro-fluidics and materials research. (see further details)
Risø National Laboratory has a dynamic and competitive environment in an
international atmosphere with many young students and post docs. The
laboratory has a staff of 800 people, with about 400 scientific employees.
They carry out research in science and technology, providing Danish society
with new opportunities for technological development.
This three-year PhD studentship is among five topics offered at Risø
and only one position will be awarded to the most qualified applicant. To
ensure that your application be associated with our group, please mention "Lab-on-a-scope: an
optical micro-mechanical manipulation system" in your application.
We offer employment and salary in accordance with the terms valid for PhD
stipends at Risø National Laboratory. We also offer interesting and
challenging jobs in an international atmosphere. We believe that diversity
is valuable and therefore we encourage everyone to apply, irrespective of
sex and ethnic background.
You can send your application by E-mail to:
Details:
PhD-scholarship on Optical
Micromanipulation
Advanced optical trapping and manipulation of aggregated micro- and nano-scale structures will facilitate the world-wide emergence of a next-generation of micro-fluidic systems, bio-chemical sensors, lab-on-a-scope devices, photonic crystals and much more. This can, in time, be the future of nano-scale hybrid processing systems and a prelude to all-optical nano-bio-devices and sensing chips. The miniaturization and integration of the analytical tools and equipment that such systems allow promises not only to reduce costs, but should significantly reduce the consumption of raw materials, increase the speed and throughput of data acquisition and allow many different chemical and biological processes to be performed both in sequence and in parallel . In addition, advanced experiments that are not possible to perform with today’s technology can be carried-out in a sealed lab-on-a-scope environment, non-invasively, without physical contact, and using fully dynamic and arbitrarily configurable patterns of laser light.
We propose an inter-disciplinary Haldor Topsøe PhD-scholarship between a leading university in the life sciences and the Optics and Plasma Research Department at Risø (OPL-Risø) to develop and apply a lab-on-a-scope based on the use of a fully reconfigurable optical micromanipulation platform invented, patented and developed at OPL-Risø. The micromanipulation system can directly control single cells and other micron-sized handlers or markers used in micro-biological research. Highly parallel cell-growth analysis and cell sorting under simultaneous microscopic observation can be envisioned in this research. The importance of this endeavour is obvious, e.g. facilitating full control and manipulation of cells or micro-structures under direct observation provides a micro-biologist a powerful tool that is currently not available in the world today. It could generate a breakthrough for many types of biological sciences where it is desirable to actively manipulate dividing cells in real-time without affecting their growth behavior.
The optical micro-manipulation system will be fully developed at OPL-Risø and subsequently tested by scientists in the life sciences. Among the numerous research activities we have in mind, the system will be initially used to investigate scientific hypotheses raised by leading cell-researchers. The system is today the obvious (and only) tool to examine whether the hypotheses are correct, as it would be possible to non-invasively manipulate, position, hold and adjust a large number of actively growing cells in arbitrary user-specified populations. In conjunction with the Haldor Topsøe PhD-scholarship, OPL-Risø is aiming at investigating a commercialisation of the system when it is fully developed and tested by micro-biologists, chemists and nano-materials experts. Internationally, the activity is strongly rooted in two prestigious European nano-bio-photonics consortia granted in 2004 and in collaboration with a leading bio-photonics company in Japan.
Supervisor at OPL-Risø: Senior Scientist, Jesper Glückstad, +45 4677 4506, jesper.gluckstad@risoe.dk
Last update:
21-07-2010