Dr. David Bwambok
<b>Department: </b>Chemistry<br><b>Research Area: </b> Applications of task-specific ionic liquids and development of paper-based microfluidic devices <br>
Department: Chemistry
Research Focus: We are interested in designing task-specific ionic liquids for applications in pharmaceutical quality control, environmental remediation, forensic analysis, and density separations. We also focus on the development of paper-based microfluidic devices for detection of disease biomarkers and evaluation of multifunctional protein based nanoparticles for drug delivery and therapy
Potential Student Project(s):
- Chiral ionic liquids for enantiomeric recognition and chiral separations
- Density-based separation of analytes using magnetic levitation
- Removal of polyfluoroalkyl pollutants from water and the environment
- Evaluation of biocompatible protein nanoparticles for drug delivery and therapeutics
- Paper-based microfluidic devices for detection of disease biomarkers
Attributes/skills/background sought in undergraduate:
- Research interest in analytical chemistry with biomedical, forensic and environmental applications
- Attention to detail in making observations in the lab
- Self-driven and hardworking
- Curiosity and interest in learning
- Willingness to work as part of the team
Mentoring Plan: I will have an initial meeting with the student to provide an overview about the project and create a research schedule based on student’s availability. At the beginning, I will work with the student and provide training on experimental techniques and various instruments used in the project. The training will also include safety in the laboratory and maintaining a laboratory notebook. I will provide relevant literature and train the students on how to analyze research articles. The student will be introduced to other group members and encouraged to work as part of the team and learn about other projects to expand their knowledge and gain additional research skills. I will hold group meetings where students can share their progress and practice communication skills. Students will have opportunities to present their work at conferences which enhances their communication skills and enables them to build networks that can lead to various careers.
Contact: 765-285-8083, 2000 W. University Avenue