Members of the Van Duyne Group (Summer 2009)

All emails at northwestern.edu unless otherwise noted!

Post Doctoral Fellows

I am a post doctoral student in the Van Duyne group. 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.

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 live in the far north suburbs with my wife, Anna, and daughter, Sarah.

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

Laura Sagle, l-sagle@northwe....

I am a postdoctoral fellow in the Van Duyne group since June, 2009.  I received my Ph. D. from UCSD
working under Professor Floyd Romesberg at the Scripps Research Institute in physical chemistry with an emphasis on biophysics and protein folding.  During my graduate work we developed a new
technique in which carbon-deuterium bonds were incorporated into proteins and used as infrared probes for protein folding and structure-function investigations.  I then carried out postdoctoral
research with Professor Paul Cremer at Texas A&M University.  My research there was aimed at understanding how denaturants and stabilizers interact with proteins using a wide range of
techniques such as:  Amide I Band ATR-FTIR, circular dichroism, visible-infrared sum frequency generation spectroscopy and temperature gradient microfluidics.  In the Van Duyne group, I am
currently working on carrying out LSPR experiments investigating protien binding, folding and kinetics in a microfluidic platform.

I am originally from the San Francisco Bay Area and certainly miss the wonderful vibe and energy there.  I enjoy playing the piano, hearing live music, playing cards, cooking, and lazy days on the
beach.

Faith Boman, faith.boman@u.northwestern.edu

  I joined the Van Duyne research lab as a postdoc in July 2009. I received my Physical Chemistry Ph.D. in December 2008 from Northwestern University. My thesis research under my advisor Prof. Franz Geiger involved studying DNA-functionalized fused quartz/aqueous interfaces with second harmonic generation spectroscopy using a Ti:sapphire regenerative laser system. I received a B.S. in both Chemistry and Biochemistry in May 2003 from the University of Michigan. As an undergraduate, I did physical chemistry research with Prof. Robert Kuczkowski and biophysical chemistry research with Prof. James Penner-Hahn.

      I was born and raised in Ann Arbor, MI.  In 2003, I moved to Evanston, IL to begin graduate school at Northwestern. I moved to Chicago in 2007, and then recently to the Andersonville neighborhood where I currently live with my fiance Eli. I love to watch lots of movies, read books, and discover cool restaurants in Chicago.  

Eddie Foley,

Graduate Students

I'm a fifth 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 fifth 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 fifth 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 third 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...

I am a second year graduate student joint between the Van Duyne and Seideman research groups. I am interested in exploring tip enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) and the coherent control of EM energy in nanoparticle systems.

I received my undergraduate degree from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. My first passion is sports. I played soccer in college and after growing up in Janesville, Wisconsin; I of course support the Badgers and the Packers. My other passion is reading and0my favorite authors are John Grisham and Tom Clancy.

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...

I’m a second year graduate student in the Van Duyne Group.  I am interested in localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and its applications in biological sensing. I am originally from Uganda, Africa but grew up mostly in Texas. I received a B.S in Chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin and worked with Dr. John T. McDevitt. I like reading, tennis, traveling, and Texas football. Hook ‘em Horns!

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

I am a second year joint student in the Van Duyne and Hupp groups.  My research will focus on high-resolution localized surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy for sensing applications.  I’m originally from West Chester, PA (E-A-G-L-E-S, EAGLES!) and earned a B.A. in chemistry from Cornell University.  Movie-watching is my favorite way to unwind, especially with movies that contain science.  MST3K and Real Genius are two of my favorites.

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

I am a second 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 second 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...

I did my undergrad at University of Wisconsin-Madison majoring in Art History and Chemistry.  I did undergraduate research with Judith Burstyn synthesizing and studying copper (I) phenanthroline complexes.  I managed to make it out of Wisconsin alive as a Bears and Cubs fan (I'm from Medinah, IL).  I also love the Blackhawks and Badgers.  On Wisconsin!