Ralph Jimenez

My interests are in molecular biophysics and optics for biotechnology. In one project, we employ femtosecond nonlinear electronic spectroscopy to investigate active-site dynamical asymmetry in heme proteins, protein-ligand interactions, and flexibility and conformational diversity in protein folding. Another area of my research involves selection strategies employing a microfluidic cellular spectroscopy and optical force-switching instrument for improving the photophysical properties of fluorescent proteins and sensors used in biological imaging. I'm also interested in algal biofuels. For this project, we designed a lab-on-a-chip microfluidic system and are using it in studies to accelerate the process of screening genetic libraries of algae and rapidly assessing and optimizing growth conditions. Finally, we're using optical forces to measure cellular elastic properties in microfluidic flows.