Our research is highly interdisciplinary, and requires a combination of theoretical and experimental approaches to design, fabricate, and test "small" analytical devices.

We use several chemical and engineering modeling tools (ACD/Labs, MATLAB, COMSOL, OptiCAD) for designing and predicting characteristics of materials, reactions, structures, and complete devices.

Most of the experimental work is done in the main lab (ZEC 326), or within adjacent core facilities. Major instrumentation includes an inverted phase/fluorescence microscope, an electrical sensing-zone particle sizer, multiple fluorescence and absorbance spectrometers, an absorbance/fluorescence microplate reader, and a quartz crystal microbalance. We also use equipment at the Materials Characterization Facility (MCF) and the Microscopy and Imaging Center (MIC).

In addition to standard instruments, we have constructed several dedicated workstations specifically for colloidal surface modification as well as analyzing the materials and structures we fabricate. These include "ANDI" (an Automated Nanofilm Deposition Instrument), two dynamic sensor test apparatuses (luminescence intensity and luminescence lifetime) and a 1-4 cell diffusion analysis system. These systems allow automated measurement of sensor response and diffusion characteristics through an integration of multiple LabVIEW-controlled devices.

Animal work is performed at TAMU's AAALAC-accredited Comparative Medicine Program research facility. Histological processing is contracted through the Department of of Veterinary Pathobiology.