Anthony Balducci
Ph.D Candidate
Chemical Engineering, MIT
77 Massachusetts Ave.
Room E18-520
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-324-3100
agb2[at]mit.edu
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Anthony Balducci
Education:
B.S. Chemical Engineering, Carnegie-Mellon, 2003
Research Interests:
My research interests have become two-fold. The first area of
research is in the conformation and dynamics of DNA confined to
thin slits. We use single molecule microscopy to observe the DNA
directly, which can yield very detailed information on the
location and the shape of the DNA. We have found that the thin
slit geometry effects not only the conformation of the DNA and the
overall drag incurred by the polymer, but also how the individual
monomers interact via disturbances of the solvent. The
disturbances are not well-explained by the current ideas in
two-dimensional hydrodynamics.
The other part of my research is concerned with the mobility,
conformation, and overall behavior of DNA as it navigates an array
of posts. The goal of this research is to be able to explain
physically the mechanisms behind polymer dynamics and separation
regimes involved when DNA is separated in solutions of polymers
and/or polymer gels. Micro- and nano- fabrication techniques
allow the precise placement, orientation, and dimension of the
obstacles in the channel, and therefore the potential for an
organized and controlled study on a very detailed physical
problem. Our group has previously studied the single DNA/single
post collision problem (see Greg Randall's papers); my work
considers the single DNA/multiple post problem.
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