Openings

Biomarkers are measurable indicators that help determine if a person may have or be at risk of developing a disease. The SFU research team have developed sensors that can detect glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), an important biomarker of Alzheimer’s disease and traumatic brain injury (TBI), and TNF-a, a pro-inflammatory cytokine, at femtomolar concentrations in buffer solution. However, to translate this technology from the research lab to clinic, the sensors must demonstrate low variability and high detection specificity.

The research team is seeking a new Master’s or PhD student to join a multidisiplinary research team to help develop the biomarker sensors. The student will conduct research at the Burnaby campus of SFU under the direct supervision of Dr. Adachi in the School of Engineering Science and work with collaborators in Physics, Health Sciences, and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. The student will also interact with industry partner to validate the sensor.

Research topics include the fabrication of sensors using scalable microfabrication processes, develop sandwich antibody-antigen binding processes, characterization of sensor performance. Students are also encouraged to propose new research directions.

Desired Qualifications (sensor fabrication):

• Experience with device fabrication equipment in a cleanroom environment (e.g. evaporation, lithography, etc.).
• Expertise with electrical/optical measurements.
• Experience with material characterization.
• Interest in diagnostic sensors for early detection of disease.
• Demonstrated communication skills.

OR

Desired Qualifications (sensor functionalization):

• Experience with antibody-antigen, aptamer-antigen, peptide-antigen, or enzyme-substrate interactions.
• Experience fabricating or characterizing biosensors.
• Interest in diagnostic sensors for early detection of disease
• Expertise with material characterization
• Demonstrated communication skills

Semester: Fall, 2026