James Gimzewski pioneered research on electrical contact with single atoms and molecules, light emission and molecular imaging using STM. His current interests within CNSI are in the Nanoarchitectonics of molecular systems and molecular and biomolecular machines, in particular those with quantum mechanical possibilities for information processing. Recently, he has undertaken groundbreaking research in an entirely new field of biophysics, which he calls sonocytology. In the sonocytology studies, a Bioscope AFM (atomic force microscope) was modified to be able to detect the vibrations of the cell wall of a living cell. These vibrations, once amplified using computer software, created audible sound, and it was discovered that cancerous cells emit a slightly different sound than healthy cells do.
Gimzewski received the 1997 Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology, the 1997 The Discover Award for Emerging Fields, the 1998' Wired 25' Award from Wired magazine and the Institute of Physics "Duddell" 2001 prize and medal for his work in nanoscale science. He holds two IBM "Outstanding Innovation Awards", and is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics and a Chartered Physicist. Gimzewski was elected to the Royal Academy of Engineering, and he has joined the scientific boards of Carbon Nanotechnologies, Inc. and Veeco-DI Instruments (a CNSI member company). With over 168 papers published, Gimzewski's research continues to appear in journals, such as Science, Chemical Engineering and Nature. He has also appeared in many popular magazines such as Discover Magazine, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Scientific American.
e-mail: gim <at> chem.ucla.edu
homepage: http://www.chem.ucla.edu/dept/Faculty/gimzewski/