Our group works on a range of projects to improve analytical measurement technology, in most cases, pushing them to higher performance with smaller samples. The need to sample small volumes is obvious when working with single cells and subcellular domains.  Thus, significant efforts use techniques with favorable scaling laws for low-volume samples.  Capillary separations are well suited to working with small volume samples, as is mass spectrometry.  Other approaches investigated include nanoliter volume NMR, microfluidics and microscopy.  One goal is to develop approaches that achieve greater chemical information while obtaining either temporal or spatial information.

Measurements in neuroscience require greater sensitivity and improved information content, with a higher-throughput and massively-parallel character, areas we address in our metabolomic and peptidomic efforts. While we use other approaches in the group, our technology development efforts are highlighted and described in the following major areas: