Kuo-Chih Shih
Postdoctoral Researcher
Ph.D. in Agricultural Chemistry, National Taiwan University, 2018
B.S. in Agricultural Chemistry, National Taiwan University, 2010
Research Interests
My most recent research project focuses on unusual complete unbinding of the tethered lipid. We have observed that tethering significantly affects the physical behavior of the lipid and how these changes affect the self-assemble structure of the tethered lipid compare to the non-tethered one. Together with the information from Small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering (SAXS/SANS) and the neutron spin echo (NSE), I have been investigating how the interdigitated lipid membrane affects the bending modulus. Moreover, I am also interested in understanding the role of membrane perforation (porous defects) in bilayer bending rigidity. These are long-standing fundamental questions whose answers will enable us to expand the envelope of the knowledge of membrane biophysics – which controls many cellular and organelle functions. I am also responsible for the NSE upgrading project in the NIST center for neutron scattering (NCNR).
Another of my research interests is the correlation of rheology and multi-scale structural characterization. Small angle laser scattering (SALS), static light scattering (SLS), dynamic light scattering (DLS), SAXS, wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) and rheo-SANS were applied to understand the thixotropic behavior of a self-assembly system composed of cyclodextrin and Pluronic. In the past year, I have also been working on building an in-house SALS machine in our institute. The preliminary test on the instrument setup is successful. It is now in the second stage of modification. Trained as an agricultural chemist, my other research strength is to work on glucose based biomacromolecules such as starch and cellulose. I have different approaches to fine-tune their hydrophilicity, surface charge density and water permeability through chemical modifications.
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