Zeeshan Ahmed

A world class spectroscopist by training, Zeeshan Ahmed joined the Thermodynamic Metrology Group at NIST in 2012. His primary research activities focus on the development of multifunctional sensing platforms that exploit photonic sensor technology for temperature, humidity, and pressure sensing. This line of inquiry seeks to develop multi-functional photonic sensors, which are mass producible, low cost, field deployable, have self-calibrating capabilities, and could be utilized in a wide range of applications ranging from advance manufacturing to citizen scientist initiatives. For more details, see Photonic Thermometry.

Aside from photonics work, Zeeshan’s research work at NIST includes a long standing collaborative effort with David Plusquellic to advance the application of terahertz spectroscopy to biophysics and structural biology. One of our goals is to develop terahertz as an incisive tool for monitoring (pusedo)polymorphic states of solid organic materials in a wide range of settings, ranging from manufacturing to transportation and storage of drug products.

Awards:

2009  National Research Council Postdoctoral Research Associateship

Previous Publications:

• "Deep-UV surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering of adenine on aluminum nanoparticle arrays" S.K. Jha, Z. Ahmed, M. Agio, Y. Ekinci, J.F. Loeffler, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 134, 1966 (2012).
  
• "UV resonance Raman determination of molecular mechanism of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) volume phase transition" Z. Ahmed, E.A. Gooding, K.V. Pimenov, L. Wang, S.A. Sanford, J. Phys.Chem. B, 113, 4248-4256 (2009).
• "UV-resonance Raman thermal unfolding study of Trp-cage shows that it is not a simple two-state miniprotein" Z. Ahmed, I. Beta, A.V. Mikhonin, S.A. Sanford, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 127, 10943-10950 (2005).

Highlights:

• Devices to measure temperature (and more) with light
  
• Shaking up biomolecules with light

Research Projects:

Photonic thermometry