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Dr. Lloyd M. Davis


Physics Program Coordinator
BH Goethert Professor of Physics
Center for Laser Applications
University of Tn Space Institute
Tullahoma, TN 37388-9700

Phone: 931-393-7335
Fax: 931-454-2271
Email: ldavis@utsi.edu
Website

Dr. Lloyd M. Davis

Education

  • B.Sc. (Physics and Math): University of Auckland, New Zealand, 1978
  • Ph.D. (Physics): University of Auckland, New Zealand, 1984; “Fluorescence Lifetime Measurements Using a Synchronously Pumped Dye Laser”

Professional Experience

  • Aug. 2007-present BH Goethert Professor of Physics, University of Tennessee Space Institute
  • Jan. 2011—May 2011 Visiting Researcher, Faculty of Science, Auckland University, New Zealand (with C. Simpson; Femtosecond laser machining for microfuidics)
  • Aug. 2010—Dec. 2010 Visiting Fellow, JILA, University of Colorado, Boulder, and National Institute of Standards and Technology (with R. Jimenez; Laser spectroscopy and optical manipulation of cells in microfluidics) (JILA Visiting Fellows Program)
  • May 2009—present Visiting Researcher, Vanderbilt University (with S. Rosenthal, Chemistry and J. Wikswo, Physics; Ultrasensitive spectroscopy of white light quantum dots)(National Science Foundation)
  • Aug. 2001-present Professor of Physics, University of Tennessee Space Institute
  • Aug. 1995-July 2001 Associate Professor, University of Tennessee Space Institute
  • May 1995-Aug. 1995 Summer Visiting Researcher, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  • Aug. 1993-July 1995 Assistant Professor (Tenure track), University of Tennessee Space Institute
  • May 1993-July 1993 Summer Visiting Researcher, Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • May 1991-Aug. 1991 Summer Visiting Researcher, Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • May 1990-Aug. 1990 Summer Visiting Researcher, Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • Mar. 1990 Visiting Researcher, Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • May 1989-Aug. 1989 Summer Visiting Researcher, Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • July 1987-July 1993 Research Assistant Professor, Center for Laser Applications, UTSI
  • Apr. 1985-June 1987 Research Associate, Center for Laser Applications, UTSI
  • Nov. 1984-Feb. 1985 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Physics Department, Auckland University

Teaching Experience

  • Over 75 graduate-level courses taught in physics (and engineering science) at the University of Tennessee Space Institute, including the core 500-level Quantum Mechanics, Classical Mechanics, and Experimental Methods classes, the core 600-level Quantum Optics classes, also Modern Physics, Modern Optics, Laser Physics, Computational Physics, Biophysics, Biophotonics, Nanophotonics, and special-topics research courses; Director for several short courses at on-campus and off-campus locations. Teaching includes distance education classes Phys. 606, Non-linear Optics and Phys. 610, Quantum Optics to UTK
  • Ph.D. qualifier examination committee/contributor/grader, Physics 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2010; Engineering Science, 1997, 1998
  • Authorized to teach at the 600-level in physics since 1988
  • Served as major advisor for 4 Ph.D. and 7 M.S. graduates and committee member for 10 Ph.D. and 7 M.S. others; presently the major advisor for 1 Ph.D., 4 M.S. students.
  • Have served as mentor to 8 postdoctoral research staff, major advisor for 4 Ph.D. and 11 M.S. graduates, committee member for 10 Ph.D. and 10 M.S. graduates, and supervisor for 8 undergraduate research assistantsPresently the mentor for 1 postdoctoral research staff member, major advisor for 3 Ph.D. students, and committee member for 5 others.

Research Interests

  • Experimental physics:
    non-linear optics, quantum optics, ultrafast laser phenomena, femtosecond spectroscopy, applied optics, optical design, laser applications to chemical analysis, single-photon detectors and electronics, laser-material and laser-plasma interactions
  • Interdisciplinary physics:
    single-molecule detection and spectroscopy, nanophotonics, biophotonics, condensed matter physics, biophysics, chemical physics, biotechnology, nanotechnology, genomic technology, advanced microscopy
  • Numerical physics:
    Monte Carlo simulations, cluster computing; Theoretical physics: fundamental quantum theory

External Funding

  • Principal Investigator (PI) or co-PI on >25 grants and contracts, including ARO, DOE, NASA, NSF, NIH, DARPA, the Whitaker Foundation, and Industry
  • Recent funding includes
    • “Nanostructures for Enhancing Energy Efficiency,” subcontract from “Tennessee Solar Conversion and Storage using Outreach, Research and Education (TN-SCORE),” National Science Foundation; August 15 2010 – July 31, 2015
    • “High throughput modular microfluidic systems for drug discovery/development,” National Institutes of Health; August 1, 2007 – April 30, 2011; with Louisiana State University (S.A. Soper, P.I.) and Tulane University Health Science Center (P. Denninger)
    • “Single protein actuation by real time transduction of affinity in nanospace,” Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, Control of Protein Conformations program, grant W911NF-07-1-0046; January 1, 2007 – December 31, 2008; with Vanderbilt University (J.P. Wikswo, P.I), the University of Texas at Austin (A. Ellington), the University of Wisconsin-Madison (G. Marriott), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and University of Tennessee Knoxville
    • “Maximum-likelihood multi-channel fluorescence microscopy,” National Institutes of Health; August 1, 2005 – July 31, 2008; L.M. Davis, P.I.
    • “Fluorescence fluctuation spectroscopy and single-molecule spectroscopy,” Abbott Laboratories, North Chicago, IL; October 2001 – October 2006; L.M. Davis, P.I.

Recent Consulting and Invited Seminars

  • National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, Polymers Division
  • University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, Dept. of Biological Systems Engineering
  • Louisiana State University, Chemistry Dept.
  • Vanderbilt University, Pharmacology Dept., Nashville, TN
  • Abbott Laboratories, Pharmaceutical R&D, Chicago, IL
  • Emory University, Physics Dept., Atlanta, GA
  • National Institutes of Health, Laboratory of Chemical Physics, Bethesda, MD
  • Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan [Royal Institute of Technology] KTH, Stockholm, Sweden
  • LI-COR Inc., Biotechnology Division, Lincoln, NE

Professional Societies

  • Optical Society of America (1985—present)
  • International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE) (1987—present)
  • Biophysical Society (2001—present)
  • American Physical Society (2007)
  • Huntsville Electro-optics Society (HEOS) (1999—present)
  • American Association for the Advancement of Science (1994)
  • New Zealand Institute of Physics (1980—1985)
  • Reviewer for 12 different journals and 8 funding agencies

Honors

  • 2010 JILA Visiting Fellow Award, National Institutes of Standards and Technology
  • 2010-2011 User proposal selected for access to the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS), Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  • 2007-2010;2010—present External Associate, Vanderbilt Institute for Integrative Biosystems Research and Education (VIIBRE)
  • 2007 BH Goethert Professor
  • 2006-2009 User proposal selected for access to the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS), Oak Ridge National Laboratory 
  • 2001 UT/ORNL Science Alliance Faculty Award
  • 1995 Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Summer Faculty Award
  • 1991 Whitaker Foundation Young Investigator Award
  • 1991 R&D 100 award (for first single-molecule detection in solution)
  • 1991 Associated Western Universities Summer Faculty Award
  • 1990 Associated Western Universities Summer Faculty Award
  • 1990 Associated Western Universities Faculty Travel Grant
  • 1980 Senior Prize in Physics, University of Auckland, New Zealand
  • 1979-84 New Zealand University Grants Scholarship; New Zealand Cancer Society Fellowship

Recent Publications / Presentations

(for a more comprehensive Publications list see http://ldavis.utsi.edu/papers.htm)

  • “Simulations for Guiding the Delivery and Trapping of Single Biomolecules in a Nanofluidic Device,” Lloyd M. Davis and W.N. Robinson, Proceedings of SPIE 7750, 7750-30, 1-10 (2010).
  • “Simulation of single-molecule trapping in a nanochannel,” W.N. Robinson and Lloyd M. Davis, J. Biomed. Opt. 15, 045006 (2010); doi:10.1117/1.3477320; [Also in the August 23, 2010 issue of The Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science & Technology at http://www.vjnano.org and in the August 15, 2010 issue of Virtual Journal of Biological Physics Research at http://www.vjbio.org. ]
  • “Four-focus single-particle position determination in a confocal microscope,” L.M. Davis, B.K. Canfield, J.A. Germann, J.K. King, W.N. Robinson, A.D. Dukes III, S.J. Rosenthal, P.C. Samson, and J.P. Wikswo, in Single Molecule Spectroscopy and Imaging III, ed. by J. Enderlein, Z.K. Gryczynski, R. Erdmann, Proceedings of SPIE 7571, 7571-36, 1-10 (2010).
  • “Cross-talk free dual-color fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy (FCCS) for the study of enzyme activity,” W. Lee, Y.-I. Lee, J. Lee, L.M. Davis, P. Deininger, and S.A. Soper, Analytical Chemistry DOI: 10.1021/ac9024768 (Jan. 2010).  http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ac9024768 
  • “Single-pair fluorescence resonance energy transfer (spFRET) for the high sensitivity analysis of low-abundance proteins using aptamers as molecular recognition elements,” W. Lee, A. Obubuafo, Y.-I. Lee, L.M. Davis, and S.A. Soper, Journal of Fluorescence, DOI 10.1007/s10895-009-0540-5 (Oct. 2009).
  • “Single-molecule diffusion coefficient estimation by image analysis of simulated CCD images to aid high-throughput screening”, P. Song, L.M. Davis, and G. R. Bashford, in Proceedings of the 31st Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, pp. 1396-1399 (2009).
  • “Coupling confocal fluorescence microscopy and microfluidic device for single molecule detection,” G. Shen, B. Chang, B.D. Dickerson, X. Li, and L.M. Davis, in Microfluidics, BioMEMS, and Medical Microsystems VII, ed. by W. Wang, Proceedings of SPIE 7202, 7207H, 1-9 (2009).
  • “Triplet-state investigations of fluorescent dyes at dielectric interfaces using total internal reflection fluorescence correlation spectroscopy,” H. Blom, A. Chmyrov, K. Hassler, L.M. Davis,| and J. Widengren, J. Phys. Chem A, 113, 5554-5566 (2009).
  • “Single-pulse ultrafast-laser machining of high aspect nano-holes at the surface of SiO2,” Y.V. White, X. Li, Z. Sikorski, L.M. Davis, and W. Hofmeister, Optics Express 16, 14411-14420 (2008).
  • “Electrokinetic delivery of single fluorescent biomolecules in fluidic nanochannels,” L.M. Davis, B.K. Canfield, X. Li, W.H. Hofmeister, I.P. Lescano-Mendoza, B.W. Bomar, J.P. Wikswo, D.A. Markov, P.C. Samson, C. Daniel, Z. Sikorski, and W. Robinson, SPIE Optics and Photonics, Symposium on Biosensing, NanoScience and Engineering, San Diego, CA, August 10–14, 2008.
  • “Femtosecond micro- and nano-machining of materials for microfluidic applications,” Y.V. White, M. Parrish, X. Li, L.M. Davis, W. Hofmeister, SPIE Optics and Photonics, Symposium on Nanofabrication, NanoScience and Engineering, San Diego, CA, August 10-14, 2008.
  • “Actively-controlled electrokinetic delivery of single fluorescent biomolecules in fluidic nanochannels,” L.M. Davis, B. Canfield, X. Li, W. Hofmeister, I. Lescano, B. Bomar, Z. Sikorski, W. Robinson, J. King, J. Germann, G. Shen, J. Wikswo, D. Markov, P. Samson, and C. Daniel, 7th International Weber Symposium on Innovative Fluorescence Methodologies in Biochemistry and Medicine, Kauai, Hawaii, June 6–12, 2008.
  • “Electrokinetic control of single molecules in fused-silica fluidic nanochannels,” B.K. Canfield, X. Li, W. Hofmeister, and L.M. Davis, Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics/Quantum Electronics and Laser Science Conference and Photonic Applications Systems Technologies, May 4–10, 2008; in Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics/Quantum Electronics and Laser Science Conference and Photonic Applications Systems Technologies, OSA Technical Digest (CD) (Optical Society of America, 2008), paper CThZ7.
  • “Single-Molecule Spectroscopy in Nano-fluidic Devices,” L.M. Davis, G. Shen, X. Li, and W. Hofmeister, Joint Meeting of the Biophysical Society 52nd Annual Meeting and 16th International Biophysics Congress, Long Beach, CA, February 2–6, 2008; Biophysical Journal 94, Issue 1, Part 2, 2541 (2008).
  • “Maximum-likelihood position sensing and actively controlled electrokinetic transport for single-molecule trapping,” L. Davis, Z. Sikorski, W. Robinson, G. Shen, X. Li, B. Canfield, I. Lescano, B. Bomar, W. Hofmeister, J. Germann, J. King, Y. White, and A. Terekhov, SPIE BIOS 2008, International Symposium on Biomedical Optics, San Jose, CA, January 19–24, 2007.
  • “Maximum-Likelihood Multi-Dimensional Photon-Counting Microscopy,” L.M. Davis, G. Shen, D.A. Ball, J. Aiken, Y.V. White, Z. Sikorski, W.N. Robinson and D.W. Piston, SPIE Optical Imaging 2006, Fifth Inter-Institute Workshop on Optical Diagnostic Imaging from Bench to Bedside at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 25–27 September, 2006.
  • “Nanoscale Emitters and Single-Molecule Detection in Nanochannels,” W.H. Hofmeister, L.M. Davis, J. Davidson, W.P. Kang, D. Li and J.P. Wikswo, Nanomaterials for Defense Applications 2006, Virginia Beach, VA, May 1—4 , 2006.
  • “Time-Resolved Spectral Imaging at Low Signal Levels,” G. Shen and L.M. Davis, Biophysical Society annual meeting, February 18—22, 2006, Salt Lake City, UT; Biophysical Journal, Abstracts, 1414-pos (2006).
  • “Dynamic Properties of Photoluminescence from Porous Silicon,” K.H. Lee, K.S. Jeon, D.A. Ball, G. Shen, and L.M. Davis, 96th Annual Meeting of the Korean Chemical Society, Wonju, Korea, Oct. 21-22, 2005.
  • “Multi-Channel Imaging Capabilities at Low Signal Levels,” L.M. Davis, and G. Shen, Frontiers in Optics/Laser Science, Optical Society of America, Tucson, AZ, October 16—20, 2005.
  • “Accounting for Saturation and Triplet Effects in FCS Measurements,” L.M. Davis, G. Shen, D.A. Ball, K.M. Swift and E.D. Matayoshi, 6th International Weber Symposium on Innovative Fluorescence Methodologies in Biochemistry and Medicine, Lihue, HI, July 22—28, 2005.
  • “Monte Carlo Simulations for Single-Molecule Fluorescence Applications,” L.M. Davis, Presentation at special symposium on “15 years of Single-Molecule Detection”, Pittcon 2005, Orlando, FL, February 27—March 4, 2005.
  • “Scanning fluorescence fluctuation spectroscopy for molecular brightness assays,” L.M. Davis, G. Shen and D.A. Ball, Biophysical Society annual meeting, Long Beach, CA, February 12—15, 2005.
  • “Single-Molecule Detection and Imaging,” D.A. Ball, L.M. Davis, and G. Shen, Annual UT/ORNL Chemical Physics Workshop, Knoxville, TN, February 10-12, 2005.