Zachary Jones

Divisions

Biological Systems and Engineering

• Process Engineering & Analytics

Secondary Affiliation:

Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging

• Cellular and Tissue Imaging

Biography

Zachary Jones is a research scientist focused on developing quantum sensing measurements for biological applications. Originally from Buffalo, NY,  Jones attended Ithaca College before earning a PhD in Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research in Bob Hamers’ group focused on creating new measurement and imaging techniques to better understand the interactions between nanomaterials and biological systems as part of the NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology. As a postdoctoral researcher at Berkeley Lab, Jones developed droplet microfluidics measurements using nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center nanodiamonds. He’s continuing to apply these techniques and others to characterize bio-processes.

Research Interests

Quantum Sensing

My research focuses on applying quantum sensing to biological and chemical problems, particularly for sensitive, real-time monitoring of cellular systems.

NV centers in diamond

Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond are powerful spin-based quantum sensors that convert magnetic resonance information into detectable fluorescence signals. These sensors are responsive to magnetic fields, temperature, strain, and paramagnetic species in their nanoscale environment. I develop and apply NV-diamond-based measurements to detect oxidative stress via reactive oxygen species (ROS), and paramagnetic ions in biological systems.

Fluorescent proteins

In addition to diamond-based quantum sensors, I am interested in emerging spin- and fluorescence-based measurements using fluorescent proteins. These tools expand the scope of quantum-enabled measurements in biological systems and offer opportunities for genetically encoded sensing and novel imaging methods in complex environments.

Instrumentation

My research is informed by my background as an analytical chemist who enjoys both creating new ways to make measurements and understanding what existing technologies can be applied to challenging problems. A major focus of my instrumentation work involves integrating established microfluidic technologies with rapidly developing quantum sensing methods.

Across projects, my goal is to build measurement platforms that are not only technically innovative, but also practically useful for studying metabolism, oxidative stress, and other dynamic biological processes.