Openings

The Nanodevice Fabrication Group at Simon Fraser University is seeking two new Master’s students to develop new nucleic acid biomarker sensors for diagnostic applications. The student will conduct research at the Burnaby campus of SFU under the direct supervision of Dr. Michael Adachi in the School of Engineering Science in collaboration with collaborators in the Dept of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, and local industrial biomanufacturing collaborators.

Biomarkers are measurable indicators that help determine if a person may have or be at risk of developing a disease. The SFU research team has developed new electronic sensors that can detect fluid biomarkers at femtomolar concentrations, using ultrathin 2D materials. Our goal is to develop new sensing methodologies, enhance the sensing specificity and repeatability to transition the research to a real-world product. The goal of this project is the ultrasensitive detection of HPV DNA. This a multi-disciplinary project involves team members or collaborators from different disciplines including electrical engineering, materials science, physics, molecular biology, validation, and neurology. Students are also encouraged to propose new research directions.

Desired Qualifications 1 – Device Fabrication:

  • Interest in diagnostic sensors for early detection of disease
  • Experience or interest in device fabrication equipment in a cleanroom environment (e.g. evaporation, lithography, etc.) and understanding of semiconductor device physics
  • Expertise with electrical/optical measurements
  • Experience with material characterization
  • Demonstrated communication skills

Desired Qualifications 2 – Sensor functionalization for nucleic acid detection:

  • Interest in diagnostic sensors for early detection of disease
  • Experience with biosensor development
  • Experience with sensor functionalization such as antibody-antigen interactions or aptamer-antigen interactions
  • Experience with amplification of a DNA template
  • Demonstrated communication skills

Semester: Summer or Fall, 2025

Students and researchers interested in joining our team, please send your CV and brief description of your research interests to mmadachi(at)sfu.ca.