UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry : UCLA Portal

Website:

James Gimzewski's Home Page.

Work Email Address:

gimzewski@cnsi.ucla.edu

Laboratory Address:

Young Hall B064

Work Address:

Young Hall 3042A

Lab Number:

1 (310) 206-8259

Work Phone Number:

1 (310) 794-7514

Professor
Chemistry and Biochemistry, Physical Chemistry

Member
California NanoSystems Institute, Institute for Cell Mimetic Space Exploration (CMISE)

A Short Biography:

Professor Gimzewski received his B.S. degree in 1974 and his Ph.D. in 1977 at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland. After working as a postdoctoral fellow at the the Oregon State University Corvallis and Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Zürich, Switzerland from 1977-1983, he joined IBM Research Lab in Zürich as a project leader. In 2001, he joined the UCLA faculty.

Awards and Honors:

Royal Society Elected Fellow ; International Society for Nanoscale Science, Computation and Engineering Elected Member ; World Innovation Foundation Elected Fellow ; Royal Academy of Engineering, London, United Kingdom (FREng) Elected Fellow ; Institute of Physics (FinstP), London, UK Elected Fellow

Research Interest:

Jim Gimzewski's research is deeply connected with convergence and application of nanoscale science and technology with an emphasis on mechanics on the nanoscale. His research encompasses crucial aspects of physics, chemistry, engineering and life sciences, medicine and art. His research consists of:
(1) Nanomechanical dynamics and nanoarchitechtonics of living cells. This work is related to cancer, the action of drugs, environmental factors and other mutations in individual cells. The research pioneers the role of mechanics and cellular motion with the aim to develop new forms of medical diagnoses at the single cell level.
(2) Use of biochemistry and AFM to gene profile DNA on the single molecule level.
(3) Production of compact high energy beams of neutrons, photons, ions, and electrons using point source emitters coupled with piezoelectric and pyroelectric effects. Notable recent developments include the demonstration of thermo-nuclear fusion using a pocket-sized device powered by cooling the device by 20^o C below ambient. Production of X-rays with fluxes suitable for X-ray radiology have also been demonstrated. (4) More recent work explores recyling of waste energy into electrical power.

Detailed Biography:

Dr. Gimzewski is a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles and Director of the Nano & Pico Characterization Core Facility of the California NanoSystems Institute. Prior to joining the UCLA faculty, he was a group leader at IBM Zurich Research Laboratory, where he research in nanoscale science and technology for more than 18 years. Dr. Gimzewski pioneered research on mechanical and electrical contacts with single atoms and molecules using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and was one of the first persons to image molecules with STM. His accomplishments include the first STM-based fabrication of molecular suprastructures at room temperature using mechanical forces to push molecules across surfaces, the discovery of single molecule rotors and the development of new micromechanical sensors based on nanotechnology, which explore ultimate limits of sensitivity and measurement. This approach was recently used to convert biochemical recognition into Nanomechanics. His current interests are in the nanomechanics of cells and bacteria where he collaborates with the UCLA Medical and Dental Schools. He is involved in projects that range from the operation of X-rays, ions and nuclear fusion using pyroelectric crystals, direct deposition of carbonn nanotubes and single molecule DNA profiling. Dr. Gimzewski is also involved in numerous art-science collaborative projects that have been exhibited in museums throughout the world.

Publications:

Petrou I, Heu R, Stranick M, Lavender S, Zaidel L, Cummins D, Sullivan RJ, Hsueh C, Gimzewski JK A breakthrough therapy for dentin hypersensitivity: how dental products containing 8% arginine and calcium carbonate work to deliver effective relief of sensitive teeth, J. Clin. Dent., 2009; 20(1): 23-31.

Cross SE, Jin Y-S, Rao J, Gimzewski JK Applicability of AFM in cancer detection, Nat. Nanotech., 2009; 4: 72-73.

Reed J, Schmit J, Han S, Wilkinson P, Gimzewski JK Interferometric profiling of microcantilevers in liquid, Optics and Lasers in Eng., 2009; 47: 217-222.

Reed J, Ramakrishnan S, Schmit J, Gimzewski JK Mechanical Interferometry of Nanoscale Motion and Local Mechanical Properties of Living Zebrafish Embryos, ACS Nano (Online), 2009; .

Stieg AZ, Rasool HI, Gimzewski JK A flexible, highly stable electrochemical scanning probe microscope for nanoscale studies at the solid-liquid interface, Rev. Scientific Inst., 2008; 79: 103701.

Cross SE, Jin Y-S, Tondre J, Wong R, Rao J, Gimzewski JK AFM-based analysis of human metastatic cancer cells, Nanotech., 2008; 19(38): .

Reed J, Walczak W, Petzold O, Gimzewski JK In Situ Mechanical Interferometry of Matrigel Films, Langmuir, 2008; 25(1): 36-39.

Reed J, Troke J, Schmit J, Han S, Teitell M, Gimzewski JK Live Cell Interferometry Reveals Cellular Dynamism During Force Propagation, ACS Nano, 2008; 2(5): 841-846.

Wilkinson PR, Klug WS, Van Leer B, Gimzewski JK Nanomechanical properties of piezoresistive cantilevers: theory and experiment, J. Appl. Phys., 2008; 104(10): .

James Gimzewski, Ph.D.