Allister McGuire
Chemistry
Bio-X Bowes Fellow 2013/2014
Profs. Bianxiao Cui (Chemistry), Yi Cui (Materials Science & Engineering), Zhenan Bao (Chemical Engineering), and Philip Wong (Electrical Engineering)

Information travels through the brain by a three-dimensional highway of neurons in both electrical and chemical vehicles. The electrical signals that carry this information are difficult to measure without causing permanent damage to the neurons. Allister is developing nanoscale electrode devices of various materials and geometries (e.g. platinum “nanopillars”) to measure the electrical behavior of neurons with minimal invasiveness and maximal sensitivity. Such development is borne out with both processes borrowed from the semiconductor industry and material synthesis methods. The project aims to enhance understanding of information transfer in the brain.