We are driven to understand how molecules interact to control biological function.
Fluorescence imaging to quantitate molecular distributions
Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy to measure molecular dynamics
Dynamic holographic optical trapping to manipulate molecules in three dimensions and in real time
Molecular biology to express fluorescent protein constructs
Biochemistry to purify and label biomolecules
Cell biology to assess functional activities
Biomimetic membranes to model lipid and protein interactions
How do we accomplish this mission? (Or what you can learn in the Sheets/Heikal Group)
Teamwork
Independence
Experimental design and analysis
Critical thinking
Oral communication skills: posters and talks
Scientific writing: papers and proposals