Nako Nakatsuka

Mission At the Laboratory of Chemical Nanotechnology (CHEMINA), our mission is to develop translational chemical biosensing technologies that advance human health. Working at the intersection of chemistry, engineering, and neuroscience, we seek to probe the dynamic chemical landscape of biological systems across in vitro systems, in vivo models, and human clinical samples. We develop novel biorecognition elements and innovate biosensing platforms to enable monitoring of small molecules in complex biofluids, translating fundamental insights into practical tools for improved patient care. Toolbox DNA aptamersNanopipette biosensorsField-effect transistorsOrganic electrochemical transistorsFocal molographyQuartz crystal microbalance Nako Nakatsuka leads the Laboratory of Chemical Nanotechnology (CHEMINA) at EPFL since January 2024. She was raised in Tokyo, Japan and moved to the U.S.A. for her bachelor’s in Chemistry at Fordham University (Bronx, NY) and pursued her Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry at UCLA (Los Angeles, CA). Upon receiving the ETH Zürich postdoctoral fellowship, she moved to Switzerland and remained a senior scientist at the Laboratory of Biosensors and Bioelectronics. For her work, she was named an MIT Under 35 Pioneer (2021), received the iCanX Young Scientist award (2022), the ACS Nano Lectureship Award and Prix Zonta (2023), the ACS Measurement Science Rising Star Award and C&EN Talented 12 Award (2024), and the Ruzicka Prize (2025). She has also illustrated a children’s chemistry book: “A is for Atom: ABCs for Aspiring Chemists” to inspire the next generation of chemists. Teaching & PhD PhD Students Ali Mohammed Ahmed Rifaat Abdelhameed Elmorsy, Alexandra Stella Régina Banbanaste, Sandra Hernández Escobar, Lianxin Xu, Maxime Henrion, Stella Schuster Courses Surfaces and interfaces MSE-304 This lecture introduces the fundamental concepts for describing, characterizing, and engineering surfaces and interfaces. Students will develop both theoretical and practical understanding of how interfacial phenomena influence surface properties and technological applications.