Speaker: Dr. Wassie Takele, The University of Georgia
Title: "Analytical Nanospectroscopy for Chemical Insight in Liquid-Phase Systems"
Abstract: Many important chemical and biological processes—such as contaminant transformation, drug–cell interactions, and interfacial phenomena—occur in heterogeneous liquid environments at the nanoscale, where conventional analytical tools often fail to resolve local structure, composition, and dynamics due to ensemble averaging. In my independent research program, I aim to address this challenge by confining electromagnetic fields to nanometer-scale volumes at the apex of a metallized atomic force microscopy (AFM) tip, enabling chemically specific imaging and spectroscopy beyond the diffraction limit. I will first show how liquid-phase near-field IR measurements can be used to directly visualize nanoscale chemical heterogeneity and intermolecular interactions in liquid-phase systems. I will then highlight applications including nanoscale analysis of micro- and nanoplastics (with implications for detection and remediation) and real-space mapping of drug–cell interfaces to probe chemically specific interactions under hydrated conditions. Finally, I will outline my plans to establish a student-centered research program at Kennesaw State University that integrates analytical chemistry with nanoscience, AI-assisted data analysis, and interdisciplinary collaboration, including near-term milestones and external funding directions.