2021-07-23

(My full CV)

Hi my name is Xin SHI ( 师鑫 ). I’m currently a postdoc in Cees Dekker lab, TU Delft.

By training a chemist, I am fascinated with the world of molecules, the fantastic reactions they have, the magnificent life they build, and the endless puzzles around them. But the molecules are far more than just the chemical formulas written on the paper. They are alive, sort of. Each and every of them behaves like an individual in a society. They have personalities, they collaborate, they adapt, they evolve. I want to know them, not just as some mixture in flasks, but ‘talk’ to, even ‘touch’ each, and every one of them. That’s when I started my study and research in Analytical Chemistry and Biophysics.

During my five years of PhD study in Prof Yi-Tao Long’s lab (ECUST, Shanghai) and Cees Dekker’s lab (TU Delft, Delft), I worked on bringing different observation and manipulation tools into nano-, and even single-molecule scales. We used molecular spectroscopy to observe the complexity and heterogeneity of catalytic reactions on single nanowires; we used the electric field to manipulate single nanoparticles single molecules, transport them into nanometer-size pores and observe them with light scattering and ionic current; we see the single molecules passing and even ‘dancing’ on the nanopores. And until today, we are still trying to put these little elves in front of a nanoscanner to do a ‘full body scan’, so we could know their structures in a flash.

My most recent research focused on building flow-driven nanoturbines that can convert transmembrane potential energy into mechanical work (see post1 and post 2). Such turbine will lay the foundation of building more compelx nanoscale engines that power robotic systems for drug delivery, tissuing repairing and so much more in the near future.

Besides the scientific research, I am also a constant learner, never afraid of learning and trying new things and entering new fields. Growing up, living and studying in different cities and countries make me not only be aware of, but more curious about the diversity of our world, of the ways of living and thinking. Life is short, but the journey of exploration never stops.