We are an interdisciplinary research group led by Dr Lewis E. MacKenzie. We are based within the Technology and Innovation Centre in Glasgow city centre, and we are part of the BioNano and Analytical Chemistry section of the Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry at the University of Strathclyde.

We believe that advanced nanophotonic constructs - engineered by combining physics, chemistry, and biology - can enable bioscientists to unlock new disease therapies, pursue research more efficiently, and gain quality data to better understand health and diseases

Our primary research focus is currently on the development of light emitting upconversion nanoparticle (UCNP) constructs and their applications to challenging problems in biosciences, including non-invasive sensing of oxygen within cells, blood, and tissue. As a relatively new research group, we expect this work to blossom into more advanced biosensing and photodynamic disease therapy applications using functional biophotonic materials (e.g. nanoplstics) in due course.

Beyond bionanotechology, we are also interested in how UCNPs and other nanophotonic materials can be utilized in larger-scale applications, including security, displays, and energy sectors. We are also interested in optics, focusing on biophotonics, chiral molecular spectroscopy (e.g. circularly polarised luminescence), and imaging/microscopy.

We also publish research into how new media, such as podcasts and YouTube, are changing the way the global public learns about science.

We are always happy to hear from potential students, postdoctoral researchers, and collaborators from all areas of science, as well as interested parties. Please get in touch!