Current Position: Research Chemical Engineer National Research Council Fellow National Institute of Standards and Technology

Dr. Wyatt Vreeland received his PhD from Northwestern in 2002 and worked under the direction of Professor Annelise Barron. His research at Northwestern focused on improved technologies for electrophoretic DNA sequencing and genotyping. He worked to develop novel "mobility modifying" molecules that enable highly efficient separations of DNA by capillary and chip electrophoresis in the absence of sieving medium. Wyatt found his current position at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, MD, through professional contacts made during an industrial internship mandated by his pre-doctoral Biotechnology Training Program grant. At the NIST, he manages and technically directs a project for forensic analysis of DNA for human identification in microfluidic devices, which is funded and requested by the U.S. Department of Justice. He also studies the application of liposomes in microfluidic devices for biomolecule characterization as well as directly mentoring and advising Ph.D. students in their thesis research.

Wyatt attributes his successful transition to post-doctoral work and an active research position at NIST to the comprehensive introduction to the field that he received while studying at Northwestern. The active and thorough mentorship he received and access to world-class facilities enabled him to “hit the ground running” in his new position. He values his access at Northwestern to virtually limitless amounts of equipment and instrumentation as well as the skilled instruction he received in the “nuts and bolts” of their operation. Wyatt received his BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Tulsa in May 1997.