Nature at the nanoscale: nanophotonics for environmental sensing 

Quantitative measurements of physical, chemical, and biological variables that retain the local environmental context are critical for applications spanning disease diagnosis to water security and ecosystem resilience. However, many current analytical methods face tradeoffs in sensitivity, portability, and scalability. This talk will describe two examples from her research tackling these challenges by engineering the interaction between light and matter at the nanoscale.

First, Balch will present her work developing nanoscale optical sensors to detect multiple ‘omic’ signatures in aquatic samples. These sensors can quantitatively detect DNA and harmful algae bloom toxins that pose a threat to drinking and agricultural water supplies, and the integration of this platform with autonomous underwater vehicles can enable in situ environmental analysis. Then, she will describe a novel optoelectronic imager that optically amplifies targeted material properties with a critically-coupled photonic cavity to spatiotemporally resolve electrical signaling between biological cells in native tissue samples, without the need for labels or dyes. Uniting nanophotonics and nanoscale materials engineering provides a toolbox to address key measurement challenges that can advance environmental sensing, water sustainability, and climate resilience.