The Molecular and Microbiology department, which is part of Sandia's Applied Biosciences and Engineering group supports mission areas in biodefense, emerging infectious disease, and biofuels. The department conducts fundamental and applied research in cell biology, immunology, nanomaterials and microbiology. The focus is on the development and use of advanced enabling technologies such as fluorescence microscopy, vibrational spectroscopies, X-ray and neutron scattering, and chemometric data analysis tools to study biological systems of interest to biofuels development and biodefense. Current research projects include developing nanoparticles for drug and vaccine delivery, understanding receptor activation and cell signaling processes, novel pathogen detection approaches, plant physiology, cellulase enzymes, as well as algal biochemistry and cultivation characterization for biofuels applications. We conduct research for the National Institutes of Health, Basic Energy Sciences, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, U.S. Industry, Department of Health and Human Services and Sandia's Laboratory Directed Research & Development program..
