Microscopy Faculty
Steven Block: Professor of Applied Physics and Biological Sciences
Research in the Block lab marries aspects of physics and biology to study the properties of proteins or nucleic acids at the level of single macromolecules and molecular complexes. Experimental tools include laser-based optical traps (“optical tweezers”) and a variety of state-of-the-art fluorescence techniques, in conjunction with custom-built instrumentation for the nanometer-level detection of displacements and piconewton-level detection of forces. Current experimental work in the lab focuses on measuring the physical properties of biological motors and key polymerase enzymes. The group has recently invented a new method for single molecule sequencing of nucleic acid using laser trapping
Christopher Contag: Professor of Pediatrics
The Contag lab has developed microscope technology and molecular reagents for the noninvasive assessment of biological processes in vivo, and is applying these tools to the study of cellular and molecular changes associated with mammalian development, disease, and responses to therapy. Their technology allows the study of systems biology by measuring the complex physiologic events that are associated with disease states and normal developmental changes evaluated in the context of the living animals.
Marc Levoy: Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
Professor Levoy’s group is currently performing research on light field imaging and display, computational imaging, and digital photography.
His group has built optoelectronic devices for measuring 3D shape, light fields and reflectance functions. These include a real-time range scanner based on video projectors, a handheld camera for capturing instantaneous light fields, and a multi-camera array for acquiring video light fields. A light field is a 2D array of 2D images, each taken from a different viewpoint. By assembling pixels from several images taken from different viewpoints, new views can be constructed from observer positions not present in the original array.
W.E. Moerner: Harry S. Mosher Professor of Chemistry and Professor, by courtesy, of Applied Physics
The Moerner lab specializes in the detection, spectroscopy, imaging, and trapping of individual fluorescent molecules in a range of environments, from liquids to polymers to living cells. By following single molecules, no ensemble averaging is necessary, and specific biological processes can be examined, one at a time. Current work involves trapping of biomolecules in solution with the ABEL trap without optical forces or tweezers, explorations of bacterial cell regulatory proteins and how their localization patterns control development, molecular chaperonins assisting protein folding, and novel single-molecule fluorophores.
Mark Schnitzer: Assistant Professor of Applied Physics and Biological Sciences
Professor Schnitzer’s research group studies optical imaging and cerebellar neural circuits. By combining imaging, electrophysiological, behavioral, and computational approaches, the Schnitzer group seeks to understand cerebellar dynamics underlying learning, memory, and forgetting. The group focuses on classical eyeblink conditioning, a form of associative memory that depends on cerebellar function. The Schnitzer group has shown that they can image in live mice large number of Purkinje neurons, which are thought to be associated with learning and memory. The Schnitzer group has invented two forms of fiber optic imaging, one- and two-photon fluorescence microendoscopy, which enable in vivo imaging of blood.
Stanford Photonics Research Center
Ginzton Laboratory - AP 207 - Stanford University - Stanford, CA 94305-4088
P: 650-723-5627
F: 650-725-1822
Email: photonics@stanford.edu
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