Our lab focuses on studying the organization and dynamical motion of chromosomal and plasmid DNA. While being intimately involved in genetic function, the packaging and arrangement DNA has operational effects that are not well understood at present. Errors in gene expression, besides arising from mistakes in the code itself, could also manifest by macromolecules that over-twist or over-stretch the DNA, problems in packing within the nucleus, long-range interference between genes, and so on. While challenging to address, these questions have the potential to define a new paradigm for our understanding of how living cells function.

NEWS (09/01/18): We're looking for a new Ph.D. or M.S. student to start in the Fall. If you're interested in applying single-molecule super-resolved microscopy to dissect the inner workings of bacteria, please contact us.

NEWS (02/23/18): Russ's article "Accounting for polarization in the calibration of a donut beam axial optical tweezers" has just been published in PLoS ONE.

NEWS (01/02/18): Emiel Visser was awarded a Marie Curie Postdoctoral Research Fellowship.

NEWS (11/06/17): Emiel Visser from Eindhoven University of Technology just joined the lab as a new postdoc.

NEWS (09/15/17): Josh was awarded the inaugural UTM Annual Research Prize in the Sciences.