Nanobioelectronics and Biosensors

Group leader: Arben Merkoçi

Overview

Main research lines

Catalytic/carrier nanomaterials: nanoparticles as electrocatalysts, nanoparticles as biomolecule carriers, and nanowires/nanotubes for non-enzymatic and enzyme mimic sensors
Nanomicrofluidics and lab-on-a-chip technologies
Paper- or nanopaper-based nanobiosensors
Nanochannels: nanoporous membranes as electrical sensing platforms
Graphene: biosensors based on graphene-related materials

Group leader

Arben Merkoçi

ICREA Research Professor and Group Leader

ICREA Research Professor and leader of the ICN2 Nanobioelectronics and Biosensors Group, Arben Merkoçi obtained his PhD at the University of Tirana (Albania) in ion selective electrodes. Since 1992 he has carried out research as postdoctoral fellow and research professor at the Polytechnic University of Budapest (Hungary), the University of Ioannina (Greece), the Università degli Studi di Padova (Italy), the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, and New Mexico State University (USA). His research is focused on the integration of biological molecules and other species with micro- and nanostructures to design novel (bio)sensors. He is member of the Academy of Sciences of Albania and director and coordinator of NANOALB (www.nanoalb.al), the regional network of nanoscience and nanotechnology.

Prof. Merkoçi is Co-Editor in Chief of Biosensors and Bioelectronics, the principal international journal devoted to research, design development and application of biosensors and bioelectronics; he is also a member of the editorial boards of Electroanalysis, Microchimica Acta and other journals.

Prof. Merkoçi has published 332 articles (H-index / citations: Google Scholar 85 / 26466; WOS 74 / 19971) and supervised 44 PhD theses. He is also involved in teaching PhD courses in the field of nanomaterial-based biosensors in several Spanish and international centres. He has been a member of the commission for establishing the new Nanoscience and Nanotechnology undergraduate academic curriculum at the UAB, the first one in Spain, which started during the academic year 2010-2011. He is a member of the Academics Working Group of BIST and coordinator of the Nanodiagnostics module of the Nanotechnology Master at the UAB. He has got several national and international grants related to nanomaterials application in biosensors and his group is collaborating with several worldwide leading labs in the field of nanobiosensors. Prof. Merkoçi serves also as scientific evaluator and member of panels of experts of various international governmental and nongovernmental agencies (EU-FP and EU-ERC panels and other panels in Europe, USA and other countries), as a scientific committee member of many international congresses, director of several workshops and other scientific events and have been invited to give plenary lectures, keynote and invited speeches in more than 200 occasions in various countries. Prof. Merkoçi is the co-founder of two spin-off companies: GraphenicaLab, devoted to graphene patterning, and PaperDrop, dedicated to clinical diagnostics..