CMOS-integrated 2D-fluidics for programmable single-biomolecule transport and sensing

What you will do 

This PhD research aims to establish a CMOS-compatible two-dimensional fluidics platform for understanding, controlling, and exploiting the adsorption, diffusion, transport, and interaction dynamics of single biomolecules on engineered interfaces. Existing systems such as lipid bilayers provide biologically relevant two-dimensional diffusion but suffer from limited robustness, storage stability, and compatibility with wafer-scale semiconductor manufacturing. The project will investigate alternative material systems including engineered lipid layers, hydrogels, and 2D materials (graphene, MoS2, hBN, etc.). The central hypothesis is that properly engineered two-dimensional material interfaces can preserve or even enhance molecular mobility while significantly improving robustness and CMOS integration. Fundamental studies will examine the physical mechanisms governing adsorption, diffusion, transport, confinement, and intermolecular interactions of DNA and proteins on different interfaces. The resulting knowledge will be translated into design rules and wafer-scale integration methodologies, followed by demonstration of 2D-fluidic channels, molecular sieving functions, lab-on-a-chip architectures, and integration with biosensing platforms such as nanopore and bioFET devices. Expected outcomes include scientific insight into biomolecular transport on advanced biointerfaces, novel process integration methodologies, and scalable biosensing and biosynthesis systems. Such insight will contribute towards the next generation devices for genomics, proteomics, and synthetic biology. This topic provides a unique opportunity for performing research across multiple disciplines such as biophysics, materials science, nanofabrication, molecular biology, and organic chemistry, within an international and creative environment of imec.
 

Your main responsibilities:

• Understanding the adsorption and diffusion dynamics of various biomolecules in physiological buffers, on diverse types of 2D biointerfaces such as 2D crystals, self-assembled monolayers, supported lipid bilayers, and hydrogels.
• Refining fluorescence-based optical inspection techniques to detect the presence and activity of individual biomolecules bound onto 2D materials with high sensitivity and reliability.

• Developing and optimizing wafer-scale nanopatterning techniques to achieve nanofluidic channels made of diverse 2D biointerfaces.
• Designing and demonstrating physical driving mechanisms such as hydrodynamic drag, electric field, acoustic wave, etc., for efficient transport of biomolecules on microfluidic channels made of biointerfaces.
• Building lab-on-a-chip systems based on 2D-fluidics to investigate the effects of 2D confinement and diffusion on biomolecular activities and interactions.
• Exploring integration of 2D-fluidics with existing biosensor platforms (e.g., nanopores, bioFETs) to enhance sensing throughput and efficiency.

Relevant papers:

• Diffusion of DNA on atomically flat 2D material surfaces (https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsnano.4c16277)
• A novel high-throughput single-molecule technique DNA curtain: Applications for DNA metabolism (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mocell.2025.100224)

Who you are

You are a highly creative and motivated PhD candidate with a passion for interdisciplinary research and innovation. You are driven to push boundaries and deliver state-of-the-art results in nanoscale biosensing and molecular engineering. Ideally, you bring the following qualifications and skills: