I'm J. Justin Gooding, founding Co-Director of the Australian Centre for
NanoMedicine. I'm here to talk about sensors, what's happening
scientifically, and their applications in health, environmental and food
monitoring. AMA!
Abstract
Hi Reddit! I’m a Scientia Professor at UNSW in New South Wales,
Australia. I co-founded and co-direct the Australian Centre for
NanoMedicine (ACN), a group that brings together experts in engineering,
medicine, and science to solve big problems in human health. My research
focuses on surface modification, biosensors, functional nanomaterials,
cell-based diagnostic devices, and electroanalysis. I’m helping develop
things like portable diagnostic devices, 3D cell bioprinters, and other
cool stuff. My research group at UNSW specializes in ways to modify
sensor surfaces at the molecular level. We use self-assembled
monolayers, biological molecules, and nanomaterials to make sensors do
things like selectively detect analytes, influence biological processes,
and communicate electrically with biological molecules. I’m also the
editor-in-chief of ACS Sensors, a brand-new journal that will publish
the latest and greatest work in sensor science. Look for our first issue
online in January 2016. This is a really exciting time for sensors
research. Many experts think the global sensors market will surpass
$110 billion by 2019. Much of this money will come from the many
applications of “personalized medicine.” For example, single-molecule
sensors are about to explode. We could use them to find out immediately
whether a patient will respond to a particular cancer treatment. We may
also see sensors used in environmental and food monitoring. On the other
hand, as a field we’re constrained by what sensors can currently do, and
are having trouble making certain types of sensors commercially viable.
So ask me anything about this diverse, interdisciplinary field:
biosensors, chemical sensors, gas sensors, intracellular sensors,
single-molecule sensors, cell chips, arrays, or microfluidic devices.
I’m happy to answer your questions about how sensors affect our everyday
lives, as well as about the future challenges and directions facing our
field. I will be back at 3:00pm ET (5:00am my time in Australia, please
wake me gently).