Jianqiao Cui

Jianqiao Cui is a PhD candidate in chemical engineering whose research is focused on the field of plant nanobionics, in which nanomaterials are integrated with living plants to impart nonnative functions or enhance nonnative functions. Supported by a MathWorks Fellowship, Jianqiao will pursue her broad interests in nanoparticle-plant interactions, with the goal of furthering the development of nanobionic plants that could replace conventional electronic and plastic devices for environmental sensing and energy storage. Her current projects include investigations of the effects of nanoparticle properties on their distribution in plant cells and plastids through hyperspectral imaging; developing plant-based optical sensors for detecting phytoormones and environmental pollutants; and developing kinetic models in MATLAB to describe the luciferase- luciferin bioluminescent and releasing reactions in a recently developed, light-emitting nanobionic plant. Jianqiao’s research has the potential to harness the valuable functions of plants, such as constant fluidic exchange with the environment and photosynthesis, and advance the creation of zero-carbon, self-powered, and self-regulating nanobiotic plants for a wide variety of applications.