Head of the NanoBioPhysics Lab
Prof Antonio Benedetto
I am an experimental physicist & biophysicist. The main focus of my research is on the interaction of ionic liquids - a vast family of organic electrolytes having a number of unique properties - with the building blocks of life, including biomembranes, proteins, and cells by means of neutron scattering, atomic force microscopy, computer simulations and a number of complementary techniques, including cell biology approaches. Since 2017, supported by a number of research grants, I have established my own research group & the NanoBioPhysics Lab that I lead, and carrying out my independent research activity at the University College Dublin (Ireland) and at the University Roma Tre (Italy).
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I am an experimental physicist & biophysicist. The main focus of my research is on the interaction of ionic liquids - a vast family of organic electrolytes having a number of unique properties - with the building blocks of life, including biomembranes, proteins, and cells by means of neutron scattering, atomic force microscopy, computer simulations and a number of complementary techniques, including cell biology approaches. Since 2017, supported by a number of research grants, I have established my own research group & the NanoBioPhysics Lab that I lead, and carrying out my independent research activity at the University College Dublin (Ireland) and at the University Roma Tre (Italy).
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Lab Members
Dr Holly Linford (May 2023 - )
Holly joined the lab as Postdoctoral Researcher in May 2023, investigating the interactions of ionic liquids with biomembranes and live cells by atomic force microcopy and other approaches, as part of a 4-years cross-disciplinary major research grant recently awarded to Prof Benedetto by Science Foundation Ireland. She recently obtained her PhD at the University of Leeds (UK), working on inter-cell adhesion in plants with a focus on bio-atomic force microscopy in the group of Prof Simon Connell.
Holly joined the lab as Postdoctoral Researcher in May 2023, investigating the interactions of ionic liquids with biomembranes and live cells by atomic force microcopy and other approaches, as part of a 4-years cross-disciplinary major research grant recently awarded to Prof Benedetto by Science Foundation Ireland. She recently obtained her PhD at the University of Leeds (UK), working on inter-cell adhesion in plants with a focus on bio-atomic force microscopy in the group of Prof Simon Connell.
Imen Boujmil (January 2022 - )
Imen joined the lab in January 2022 as Ph.D. student under Prof Benedetto supervision thanks to a 3-years Ph.D. Scholarship sponsored by the Italian Ministry of University & Research. Her project focuses on the effect of (paramagnetic) ionic liquids on lipid bilayers and cells by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM), neutron scattering, and other complimentary techniques. In June 2022, she attended the UCD Conway School on Flow-Cytometry. In September 2022, she attended the (i) Oxford School on Neutron Scattering and the (ii) Elettra School on Synchrotron Radiation.
Imen joined the lab in January 2022 as Ph.D. student under Prof Benedetto supervision thanks to a 3-years Ph.D. Scholarship sponsored by the Italian Ministry of University & Research. Her project focuses on the effect of (paramagnetic) ionic liquids on lipid bilayers and cells by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM), neutron scattering, and other complimentary techniques. In June 2022, she attended the UCD Conway School on Flow-Cytometry. In September 2022, she attended the (i) Oxford School on Neutron Scattering and the (ii) Elettra School on Synchrotron Radiation.
Olena (Alyona) Yedelkina (September 2022 - )
Alyona joined the lab in September 2022 as Ph.D. student under Prof Benedetto supervision thanks to a Ph.D. Scholarship sponsored by the Irish Research Council. Her project focuses on the effect of ionic liquids on lipid bilayers of increasing complexity and cells by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM), neutron scattering, and other complimentary techniques. In June 2023, she attended the FEBS Summer School “Mechanics in Biology: From molecules to cells and tissues” in Glasgow, UK, where she presented her first poster on "AFM investigation into the effect of ionic liquid on the topographical and mechanical properties of raft-forming sphingomyelin bilayers".
Alyona joined the lab in September 2022 as Ph.D. student under Prof Benedetto supervision thanks to a Ph.D. Scholarship sponsored by the Irish Research Council. Her project focuses on the effect of ionic liquids on lipid bilayers of increasing complexity and cells by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM), neutron scattering, and other complimentary techniques. In June 2023, she attended the FEBS Summer School “Mechanics in Biology: From molecules to cells and tissues” in Glasgow, UK, where she presented her first poster on "AFM investigation into the effect of ionic liquid on the topographical and mechanical properties of raft-forming sphingomyelin bilayers".
Aadarsh Kumar (May 2023 - )
Aadarsh joined the lab in May 2023 as Ph.D. student under Prof Benedetto supervision, investigating the interactions of ionic liquids with biomembranes and membrane protein channels by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM), neutron scattering, and other approaches as part of a 4-years cross-disciplinary major research grant recently awarded to Prof Benedetto by Science Foundation Ireland. Aadarsh recently obtained his integrated BSc & MSc Degree in Physics at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune (India), working on the unfolding events of Titin protein using an ad hoc interferometer-based AFM, which resulted in a publication in J Phys Chem Lett. In August 2023, he attended the 14th AFMBioMed Summer School in Marcoule, FR.
Aadarsh joined the lab in May 2023 as Ph.D. student under Prof Benedetto supervision, investigating the interactions of ionic liquids with biomembranes and membrane protein channels by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM), neutron scattering, and other approaches as part of a 4-years cross-disciplinary major research grant recently awarded to Prof Benedetto by Science Foundation Ireland. Aadarsh recently obtained his integrated BSc & MSc Degree in Physics at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune (India), working on the unfolding events of Titin protein using an ad hoc interferometer-based AFM, which resulted in a publication in J Phys Chem Lett. In August 2023, he attended the 14th AFMBioMed Summer School in Marcoule, FR.
Jiajia (Jia) Wei (November 2023 - )
Jia joined the lab in November 2023 as Ph.D. student under Prof Benedetto supervision thanks to a Ph.D. Scholarship sponsored by UCD School of Physics. Her project focuses on investigating the effect of ionic liquids on live cell nano-mechanics using atomic force microscopy, neutron scattering, and other related complimentary techniques.
Jia recently obtained her BSc & MSc Degrees in Engineering at the Beijing University and at the University of the Chinese Academy of Science (Beijing, Cina), respectively. Her MSc Thesis Project was on "Measuring the cellular mechanical properties in fluidic environment using Atomic Force Microscopy", which resulted in two publications in Langmuir (ACS )and Nanoscale (RSC), respectively.
Jia joined the lab in November 2023 as Ph.D. student under Prof Benedetto supervision thanks to a Ph.D. Scholarship sponsored by UCD School of Physics. Her project focuses on investigating the effect of ionic liquids on live cell nano-mechanics using atomic force microscopy, neutron scattering, and other related complimentary techniques.
Jia recently obtained her BSc & MSc Degrees in Engineering at the Beijing University and at the University of the Chinese Academy of Science (Beijing, Cina), respectively. Her MSc Thesis Project was on "Measuring the cellular mechanical properties in fluidic environment using Atomic Force Microscopy", which resulted in two publications in Langmuir (ACS )and Nanoscale (RSC), respectively.
Past Lab Members (Ph.D. Students & Postdocs)
Dr Visakh Pillai (November 2017 - September 2022)
Visakh was part of the lab for 5 years (4 years + 1 additional year under a Covid-19 Government payed extension), from November 2017 to September 2022, as Ph.D. student under Prof Benedetto supervision. His PhD project focused on the effect of ionic liquids on protein amyloidogenesis and cells by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM), neutron scattering and a number of complimentary techniques. In September 2022, he was awarded two Ph.D. degrees by University College Dublin (IE) and University Roma Tre (IT), respectively, as part of the Double PhD Degree Program between the two Universities. In October 2022, he took a postdoctoral fellow position within the chair group of Physical Chemistry & Soft Matter at the Wageningen University and Research (NL) where he is using high resolution AFM, AFM-IR, and bulk spectroscopy approaches to study proteins and amyloids.
During his PhD, Visakh: (i) published 6 scientific papers (5 as first author) including 2 J Phys Chem Lett, 2 Biophys Rev, 1 J Phys Chem B, 1 Phys Chem Chem Phys; (ii) presented many posters at international conferences and gave 2 talks, including one at the European Biophysical Congress EBSA 2021; (iii) was awarded a poster prize at the European Biophysical Congress EBSA 2019; (iv) attended 2 schools including the Niels Bohr School on Neutron Scattering; (v) carried out 2 neutron scattering experiments; (vi) served as tutor in the UCD Physics Summer School.
Visakh was part of the lab for 5 years (4 years + 1 additional year under a Covid-19 Government payed extension), from November 2017 to September 2022, as Ph.D. student under Prof Benedetto supervision. His PhD project focused on the effect of ionic liquids on protein amyloidogenesis and cells by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM), neutron scattering and a number of complimentary techniques. In September 2022, he was awarded two Ph.D. degrees by University College Dublin (IE) and University Roma Tre (IT), respectively, as part of the Double PhD Degree Program between the two Universities. In October 2022, he took a postdoctoral fellow position within the chair group of Physical Chemistry & Soft Matter at the Wageningen University and Research (NL) where he is using high resolution AFM, AFM-IR, and bulk spectroscopy approaches to study proteins and amyloids.
During his PhD, Visakh: (i) published 6 scientific papers (5 as first author) including 2 J Phys Chem Lett, 2 Biophys Rev, 1 J Phys Chem B, 1 Phys Chem Chem Phys; (ii) presented many posters at international conferences and gave 2 talks, including one at the European Biophysical Congress EBSA 2021; (iii) was awarded a poster prize at the European Biophysical Congress EBSA 2019; (iv) attended 2 schools including the Niels Bohr School on Neutron Scattering; (v) carried out 2 neutron scattering experiments; (vi) served as tutor in the UCD Physics Summer School.
Dr Pallavi Kumari (May 2017 - June 2021)
Pallavi was part of the lab for 4 years, from May 2017 to June 2021, as Ph.D. student under Prof Benedetto supervision. Her project focused on the effect of ionic liquids on lipid bilayers and cells by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM), neutron scattering and a number of complimentary techniques. In June 2021, she was awarded two Ph.D. degrees by University College Dublin (IE) and University Roma Tre (IT), respectively, as part of the Double PhD Degree Program between the two Universities. In January 2022, she took a postdoctoral fellow position at the School of Physics & Astronomy at Leeds University (UK) where she used advanced AFM approaches coupled with fluorescence to study plant cell walls. In January 2023, she took a postdoctoral fellow position within the group of Cellular Biophysics at the Institute of X-Ray Physics at the Göttingen University (GE).
During her PhD, Pallavi: (i) published 7 scientific papers (4 as first author) including 2 J Phys Chem Lett, 2 J Phys Chem B, 1 Phys Chem Chem Phys, 1 Biophys Rev; (ii) presented many posters at international conferences and gave 3 talks, including one at the European Biophysical Congress EBSA 2019; (iii) was awarded two poster prizes - one at the European Biophysical Congress EBSA 2017 and one at UCD Conway Science Festival 2020 - and a medal for student achievement by UCD Science in 2020; (iv) attended 2 schools, including the Oxford School on Neutron Scattering; (v) carried out 2 neutron scattering experiments; (vi) participated in outreach activities, including Soapbox Science Dublin; (vii) served as lead tutor and lecturer in the UCD Physics Summer School.
Pallavi was part of the lab for 4 years, from May 2017 to June 2021, as Ph.D. student under Prof Benedetto supervision. Her project focused on the effect of ionic liquids on lipid bilayers and cells by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM), neutron scattering and a number of complimentary techniques. In June 2021, she was awarded two Ph.D. degrees by University College Dublin (IE) and University Roma Tre (IT), respectively, as part of the Double PhD Degree Program between the two Universities. In January 2022, she took a postdoctoral fellow position at the School of Physics & Astronomy at Leeds University (UK) where she used advanced AFM approaches coupled with fluorescence to study plant cell walls. In January 2023, she took a postdoctoral fellow position within the group of Cellular Biophysics at the Institute of X-Ray Physics at the Göttingen University (GE).
During her PhD, Pallavi: (i) published 7 scientific papers (4 as first author) including 2 J Phys Chem Lett, 2 J Phys Chem B, 1 Phys Chem Chem Phys, 1 Biophys Rev; (ii) presented many posters at international conferences and gave 3 talks, including one at the European Biophysical Congress EBSA 2019; (iii) was awarded two poster prizes - one at the European Biophysical Congress EBSA 2017 and one at UCD Conway Science Festival 2020 - and a medal for student achievement by UCD Science in 2020; (iv) attended 2 schools, including the Oxford School on Neutron Scattering; (v) carried out 2 neutron scattering experiments; (vi) participated in outreach activities, including Soapbox Science Dublin; (vii) served as lead tutor and lecturer in the UCD Physics Summer School.
Past Lab Members (BSc & MSc Thesis Students)
Roisin Mc Monagle (October 2022 - May 2023)
Roisin was part of the lab for 8 months, from October 2022 to May 2023, as Final Year Student (BSc Physics) to carried out her BSc degree thesis project under Prof Benedetto supervision on the effect of ionic liquids on lipid bilayers' morphology and elasticity by means of atomic force microscopy.
Roisin was part of the lab for 8 months, from October 2022 to May 2023, as Final Year Student (BSc Physics) to carried out her BSc degree thesis project under Prof Benedetto supervision on the effect of ionic liquids on lipid bilayers' morphology and elasticity by means of atomic force microscopy.
Osahenre (Osas) Samuel (October 2022 - May 2023)
Osas was part of the lab for 8 months, from October 2022 to May 2023, as Final Year Student (BSc Physics) to carried out her BSc degree thesis project under Prof Benedetto supervision on the effect of ionic liquids on amyloid fibrils' morphology and elasticity by means of atomic force microscopy.
Osas was part of the lab for 8 months, from October 2022 to May 2023, as Final Year Student (BSc Physics) to carried out her BSc degree thesis project under Prof Benedetto supervision on the effect of ionic liquids on amyloid fibrils' morphology and elasticity by means of atomic force microscopy.
Luke Kilmartin (October 2022 - May 2023)
Luke was part of the lab for 8 months, from October 2022 to May 2023, as Final Year Student (BSc Physics) to carried out his BSc degree thesis project under Prof Benedetto supervision on the effect of ionic liquids on cancer cells' morphology and elasticity by means of atomic force microscopy and cell biology approaches.
Luke was part of the lab for 8 months, from October 2022 to May 2023, as Final Year Student (BSc Physics) to carried out his BSc degree thesis project under Prof Benedetto supervision on the effect of ionic liquids on cancer cells' morphology and elasticity by means of atomic force microscopy and cell biology approaches.