Members of the Van Duyne Group (Winter 2009)

All emails at northwestern.edu unless otherwise noted!

Post Doctoral Fellows

Christa Brosseau, email c-brosseau@northwe...

I joined the Van Duyne research group as a postdoctoral fellow in 2007. I received a PhD from the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, under the supervision of Prof. Jacek Lipkowski. My PhD work involved using electrochemical and polarization-modulation IRRAS to study model biological membranes at a gold electrode surface. Specifically, I used this system to study the in-situ interaction of the cholera toxin protein with a glycolipid membrane receptor.

Since joining the Van Duyne group, my research focus has been on the application of SERS and tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) to artist dyestuffs. This is part of a collaborative project between Northwestern University and the Art Institute of Chicago.
I am originally from Nova Scotia, Canada, where I received both a BSc honors degree (Dalhousie University) and an MSc degree (Acadia University). In my spare time, I enjoy playing piano, drawing and exploring Chicago.

Jon Dieringer, email jdieringer@northwe...

I am a post doctoral student in the Van Duyne group. My hometown is Delphos, OH, a bustling city located in west central Ohio. Ok, its barely a city, as its population is ca. 6900.
I attended The Ohio State University and performed research under Richard McCreery and studied the electronic and molecular response of monolayers in between macro scaled electronic pads. While at Ohio State, I also watched with extreme excitement as Ohio State won a NCAA football national championship. In June 2003, I graduated with my class in Ohio Stadium and the keynote address was given by Christopher Reeve.

Currently in the Van Duyne group, my interests stem from the near field enhancement of electromagnetic fields near nanoparticle surfaces due to the localized surface plasmon resonance. As such, I working on verification of the single molecule SERS phenomenon, measurement of the distance dependence of SERS, and correlation of the excitation frequency to the LSPR, all of which are related at the lowest level by the enhancement mentioned. In the future, I hope to also explore tip enhanced Raman spectroscopy. I completed my qualifier in May 2005.

I live in the far north suburbs with my wife, Anna, and our two cats, Poindexter and Lexi. I am an avid boardgamer with a collection of over 150 games. Most of the games that I play, you have probably never heard of. There has been a gaming renaissance in Germany that has started to revolutionize the way people play games. I also have started to really enjoy games that are historical simulations, mostly card driven games from GMT. The card driven system really allows for the historical event to take place with the need for complicated rules nor the need to script the gameplay to force that event to occur.

Anne-Isabelle Henry, email a-henry@northwe...

I arrived at Northwestern University in september 2008 as a joint post doc in the Van Duyne Group and Schatz group. I received a PhD from University Paris 6 in Paris,  France. My PhD co-advisors in the Laboratoire des Materiaux Mesoscopiques et Nanometriques (LM2N) were Prof. Marie-Paule Pileni and Dr Alexa Courty. My PhD work has included the synthesis of silver nanocrystal in reverse micelles, the control of the nanocrystal organization in two- and three-dimensional arrays, and the study of some physical properties (optics and crystalline growth) of these structures. My research now focuses on the correlated study of optical and structural properties of gold nanoparticles.

I am from France. I was born near Paris, but my family comes from Brittany. I received a B.Sc. and a M.Sc. from University Paris 11 in Orsay, France. I spent 2 month in Berlin for an internship at the Fritz-Haber-Institut-der-MPG in the department of physical chemistry.

Kristin Wustholz, email wustholz@northwe...

I joined the Van Duyne lab as a postdoc in January of 2008, after completing my Ph.D. with Bart Kahr and Philip J. Reid at the University of Washington in Seattle. My graduate work focused on characterizing the orientational and photophysical properties of single dye molecules embedded in salt crystals. My current research interests in the Van Duyne group involve experiments that are aimed at understanding the single-molecule SERS mechanism. In particular, I am interested in exploring the relationships among the localized surface plasmon resonance of a metallic nanoparticle, laser excitation wavelength, and the molecular resonance of an adsorbed chromophore.

I'm originally from New Hope, PA, a small town north of Philadelphia that is known for its rich history, colorful residents, and mule barge (no joke). I attended Muhlenberg College and earned a B.A.S. in Chemistry and Philosophy in 2002. After many years in PA, I moved all the way across the country to Seattle, WA, a place I now consider to be home. Outside of lab I enjoy singing and playing the piano, the NFL (I love those poor, poor Philadelphia Eagles), Killer Bunnies, kickboxing, trying out new food and wines, and traveling. Check out my website! lasertastic.com

Nilam Shah, email n-shah5@northwe...

I am a post doctoral fellow in the Van Duyne lab. I am currently working to develop an in vivo, minimally invasive, biologically compatible, real-time surface-enhanced Raman scattering (IV-BC-RT-SERS-GS) based glucose sensor. I am also studying the relationship between localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and laser desorption.

I am originally from Varodra, India and also lived in Mumbai. My family then moved to Kenya, Africa and finally to Chicago, IL. I took Indian classical dance when I was young (Kathak) and have choreographed and performed in dances.

Graduate Students

Kevin Biggs, '04, kvnbgs@northwe...

My research in the Van Duyne group encompasses the fabrication and characterization of metal nanoparticle arrays. My goal is to better understand the fundamental properties of these materials and how they interact with molecules for the purpose of chemical detection.

Julia Bingham, '05, julia-bingham@northwe...

I'm a fourth year student in the Van Duyne lab. Some of the things I've been working on are (1) the LSPR shift for biomarker detection, specifically prostate specific antigen (PSA), (2) A widefield approach to measure the LSPR of single silver nanoparticles using a liquid crystal tunable filter (LCTF) (moving and stationary particles), and (3) the coupling between the LSPR of a metallic nanoparticle and the electronic resonance of an adsorbed (solvatochromic) chromophore, Nile Red

I grew up in Cheshire, CT and graduated from Penn State University in 2005 majoring in chemistry and linguistics. I enjoy dancing, college football (Go Penn State!), reading (I just finished Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali and am currently reading The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls,) and many different TV shows (90210, Lost, Friends, etc.)

Paige Hall, '05, w-hall@northwe...

I am a fourth year student in the Van Duyne lab. My research focuses on using LSPR to study the dynamics of protein folding and protein-ligand interactions. By coupling these LSPR studies to time of flight mass spec, we hope to develop a nanoparticle-assisted laser desorption ionization technique that will simultaneously allow kinetic measurements and molecular identification.

I am originally from Austin, TX and received my B.S. in biochemistry and Spanish from the University of Notre Dame. My hobbies include reading, playing volleyball and listening to reggae music.

Kathryn Kosuda, '05, k-kosuda@northwe...

I am a fourth year graduate student in both the Van Duyne and Stair research groups. My project involves the use of atomic layer deposition (ALD) and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to look at surface catalytic reactions in the liquid phase. This first involved building an atomic layer deposition system with the help of our collaborators at Argonne National Lab. We are also working on developing an in-situ Raman set-up for our ALD which will allow us to monitor ALD reactions in real-time using SERS. Another project that I’ve been working on is investigating the plasmonic properties of aluminum nanoparticles as a platform for doing ultraviolet SERS.

I grew up in the suburbs of New York City and graduated from Colby College (located in Waterville, Maine) in 2002 with a degree in chemistry. Before coming to Northwestern, I worked as an analytical chemist at Merck for three years, just outside of Philadelphia.

Sam Kleinman, '07, email s-kleinman@northwe...

I am a second year graduate student in the Van Duyne research group. My interests range from physical chemistry to live music. On the science side of things, my research will be focused on surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy and the substrates which give rise to this phenomenon. On the music side of things I like Groundation and the Disco Biscuits as well as many other creative bands.

I earned my undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley. When living in the Bay Area I executed undergraduate research on nanorod synthesis and the subsequent reactions of these nanorods with gold nanospheres under Paul Alivisatos, Go Golden Bears!

Matthew Sonntag, '08, email matthewsonntag2013@u.northwe...

Emilie Ringe, '08, email emilielavigne2007@u.northwe...

I joined the Van Duyne’s group in fall 2008, and am joint with Prof. Laurence Marks (Mat. Sci.). I am working on the correlation between structure and plasmonic properties of nanoparticles. I am french Canadian, and completed most of my undergraduate work at McGill University, in Montreal. I moved to Chicago in summer 2006, and completed a B.A./M.S. in two years under the supervision of Prof. James Ibers, here at Northwestern.

My main hobby is endurance training. Last year, I completed 2 half-ironman triathlons, and this year I plan to do a marathon. My husband and I also try to travel as much as possible. We particularly like central and south America, and hope one day we will go to southeast Asia.

Laura Ruvuna, '08, email lauraruvuna2012@u.northwe...

Lauren Kreno, '08, email laurenkreno2013@u.northwe...

Ke Ma, '08, email kema1.2013@u.northwe...

I am a first year biomedical engineering graduate student in the Van Duyne lab. Currently, I am working on the project of developing in vivo real-time glucose monitoring sensor by using surface-enhanced Raman scattering. I grew up in Tianjin, China. I earned my bachelors degree in biomedical engineering from Catholic University in DC.

Nathan Greeneltch, '08, email nathangreeneltch2012@u.northwe...

I am a first-year graduate student in the Van Duyne Group. I am from Florida and completed my undergraduate work in Forensic Science and UCF in Orlando. I am interested in physical and analytical chemistry and am looking forward to my work in this group. I am currently experimenting with single particle imaging and nanoparticle spacial manipulation using the AFM together with visual microscopy. Also, I will work on gas phase sensing of chemical warfare agents and liquid phase sensing of illicit drugs

Natalie Ray, '08, natalieray2013@u.northwe...