About
Erin Iski, Ph.D., is a professor of chemistry who specializes in using Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) to image single atoms and molecules on metal surfaces. Her laboratory is unique in the application of STM to electrochemical and liquid environments. These environments allow her group to study the adsorption of small biological molecules under relevant conditions to understand how molecules may have begun to interact and propagate on 2D surfaces leading to the chirality and structures needed to begin life on this planet.
Recent publications indicate that amino acid molecules have a strong interaction with the gold surface leading to the formation of metal islands and magic gold fingers. The group publishes in journals such as Surface Science, AIP Advances, and the Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A and has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. In addition to research, Iski is committed to increasing diversity in STEM related fields and is the advisor for student groups on campus sharing those goals as well as speaking to the community on such subjects.
Education
- Ph.D., Tufts University
- Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Argonne National Lab
- B.S., The University of Tulsa
Research interests and areas of expertise
- Scanning tunneling microscopy
- Electrochemistry
- Amino acids
- Metal surfaces
- Origin of life
- Surface chemistry
- Nanotechnology