Jennifer Dionne | Faculty Spotlight

Jennifer Dionne

Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and by courtesy, of Radiology
Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Investigator
Deputy Director, Q-NEXT National Quantum Information Science Center
Executive Editor, Nano Letters

"I believe some of the biggest challenges related to personal and planetary health can be addressed by developing new tools that provide unprecedented and as-of-yet untapped insight into the dynamics of molecules and their interactions."

Where were you born and raised?

I was born and raised in Rhode Island. Though it’s the smallest state in the US, it has its own unique culture, food, and dialect. It wasn’t until I went to college that I realized no one knew what a 'bubbler' was (the Rhode Island term for water fountain), or where to find a Del’s lemonade or a ‘cabinet’ (the Rhode Island term for milk shake). As a child, I would spend my summers playing at the beach, and my winters ice-skating on the frozen ponds. My neighbor was a local news anchor, and inspired by him, I started a local newspaper to report news in our neighborhood. We didn’t have computers (or internet), so I gathered most of my stories from first-person interviews with local restaurant and shop owners. I would also include recent trivia that I had just learned from the Encyclopedia. 

What led you to the engineering field?

My mom was a nurse, and my dad was a construction worker, so my introduction to science came from watching the X-Files. Dana Scully was an incredible role model, as both a doctor and special agent. For the longest time, I wanted to be a paranormal researcher. In the local library, I read the books in the “paranormal” section, which alphabetically was located next to the “physics” section. My reading therefore progressed from the paranormal into quantum physics. I became fascinated by how the underlying laws of physics could help describe everything from atoms to galaxies, and enable advances that were just coming on-line, like personal computers and the internet. 

Where did you study?

I went to college at Washington University in St. Louis, and double majored in Physics and Systems Science and Mathematics. As an undergraduate, I participated in two summer research programs - one where I got to research lung MRI imaging (with WashU’s School of Medicine), and another where I studied ocean front formation and climate change. Both provided incredible examples of how physics and engineering could be used to enable advances in health and sustainability. For my PhD, I went to Caltech in Pasadena, advised by Harry Atwater. There, I was introduced to nanotechnology, and in particular how novel materials can control light at the nanoscale. My work developed Silicon photonic chips to modulate light (eg, for information processing), and enable negative refraction. I then did a short postdoc in chemistry at Berkeley, advised by Paul Alivisatos. My postdoc taught me the foundations of nanoparticle synthesis and DNA-directed assembly to create novel materials.

What led you to Stanford and your current role?

At the end of my PhD, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to pursue a position as a Professor, or take a job in industry, so I applied for both. As I interviewed at various Universities, I found myself loving the conversations and all that I was learning from both the faculty and the students. Stanford ‘had me at hello’ - everyone I met was pursuing cutting-edge, frontier research, and the Shared Facilities were top-notch. I also loved how Stanford’s Engineering school was just a short walk away from the School of Medicine and Graduate School of Business, and right up the road from SLAC National Lab. I’ve been at Stanford since 2010. The culture is very collaborative, and it’s easy to connect with world experts and use world-class facilities. Here, if you can dream it, you can do it. 

Please describe any of your current research you would like highlighted and describe its importance, and/or any research you hope to accomplish in the future. 

My lab develops nanophotonic methods to detect molecules and direct their transformations. I believe some of the biggest challenges related to personal and planetary health can be addressed by developing new tools that provide unprecedented and as-of-yet untapped insight into the dynamics of molecules and their interactions. Our materials control light on deeply subwavelength scales, effectively ‘shrinking’ light to dimensions that match the molecular scale. 

One example question that drove a recent paper was this: Why does industrial ammonia synthesis require high temperatures (~500 degrees C) and high pressures, while plants and their symbiotic bacteria can create ammonia at room temperature and pressure? Inspired by bacterial enzymes, and their interaction with light, we have created inorganic metal nanoparticle catalysts that enable photocatalytic ammonia synthesis at ambient conditions. Our hope is to use catalysts like this to enable more sustainable chemical manufacturing. For this work, we’ve collaborated with colleagues in the School of Sustainability. 

Another recent research question is this: How can we better predict immunotherapy outcomes? Cancer immunotherapy is a life-saving treatment for many patients, but other patients have severe adverse effects. There is currently no predictive biomarker of immunotherapy outcomes. We have developed label-free, single-cell methods to interrogate tissues and help predict patient therapeutic responses. For this work, we’ve been collaborating with colleagues in the School of Medicine. 

Most of our work is aimed at applied research, yet we develop very fundamental technologies to address these questions – from advanced electron microscopy methods to novel Si-based and quantum photonic sensors.

What advice do you have for aspiring scientist researchers in the field?

One concrete piece of advice is to learn how to give an ‘elevator pitch’ – in under 60 seconds, can you tell someone the value proposition of your project, and get them intrigued to learn more?  Another piece of advice is to not give up. Research takes grit and determination. Just when things are looking the most dire, you’ll find glimmers of hope. If you are passionate about the work you are doing, there is always a path forward to progress. Finally, have fun. Many of my fondest memories and closest friendships were formed from my time as a student. Each season of life is fleeting, so make the most of your time learning and enjoying the scientific adventure!