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Research

Exploring nanoscale electric and electrostatic charge in living systems — from single cells to whole organisms.

Overview

We conduct interdisciplinary research that explores nanoscale electric and electrostatic charge with a particular focus on living systems in healthy and diseased conditions. We develop novel methods from initial sensing concepts to innovative applications in biology, electrochemistry, and materials — involving sensor development using state-of-the-art nano/micro fabrication, precision optical measurement systems, customised data analysis, and theoretical research integrating physical chemistry models with optical models to understand charge carriers and light interactions.

Applications

Where we apply our science

Networks

Label-Free Imaging of Electrical Signalling in Cell Networks

Living cells coordinate their behaviour through electrical signals — forming dynamic networks that underpin tissue function across the body. We develop label-free optical methods to image these bioelectrical networks in real time, without dyes or genetic modification, revealing how cells communicate, synchronise, and collectively respond to stimuli. This platform enables the study of network-level electrical activity in a range of contexts, from insulin-secreting beta cells in diabetes to tumour microenvironments in cancer, cardiac tissue, and neural circuits.

Label-free imaging of beta cell networks

Image coming soon

Circuits

Mapping Electrical Circuits in Living Organisms

Cells are electrical systems. Ion channels, membrane, and gap junctions form electrical pathways (i.e., circuits) whose parameters — conductance, impedance, resting potential — define a cell’s electrical state. Changes in these circuit elements underpin the transition between healthy and diseased function. We develop label-free optical tools to measure these equivalent circuit parameters in intact living systems to decode how bioelectrical circuits encode behaviour and how they become disordered in disease.

Charge Optics Fundamentals

How Ionic Charge Couples to Light

Every electrochemical interface — from a battery electrode to a cell membrane — involves nanoscale ionic distributions that shape function. Our recent work demonstrated the first optical method to separate cation and anion contributions at electrified surfaces through their differential polarizabilities. We are building a comprehensive framework linking Debye-length-scale charge dynamics to plasmon resonance shifts — advancing fundamental physical chemistry and electrochemistry while enabling applications across energy storage, biosensing, corrosion science, and electrocatalysis.

Charge optics — ionic charge coupling to light

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Tools

How we build the science

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Electrostatic Microscopy

3D Charge & Force Sensing

We develop tools to detect tiny charges and forces within microenvironments, combining optical trapping with custom electrochemical setups for mapping electrostatic charges around live biological samples in three dimensions.

Optical trapping Electrochemistry 3D mapping

Impedance Microscopy

Bioelectric Imaging Platform

We are building a novel microscopy platform for studying the electrical properties of biological tissue with sub-microscopic resolution — a multimodal impedance optical microscope for fine-grained imaging of single cells in health and disease.

Impedance spectroscopy Sub-cellular resolution Multimodal

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AI-Enhanced Detection

Signal Processing & Deep Learning

Our microscopy techniques face the challenge of extracting minute signals from highly noisy environments. We leverage artificial intelligence to exceed the capabilities of traditional signal processing, enabling deeper understanding of the samples under investigation.

Deep learning Noise reduction Signal recovery

Label-Free Voltage Sensing

Plasmonic Detection

We provide highly sensitive detection of voltage changes without dyes or scanning probes. Using techniques such as surface plasmon resonance (SPR), we investigate new approaches for enhanced optical voltage sensing using thin metallic films with various optical configurations.

SPR Thin films Dye-free

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