03/16/2011

Daniel Weston, Ph.D.

Current position:

Research scientist—post-doctoral fellow—in the Department of Chemistry at Northwestern University

Education:

Bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Minnesota in 2005, and doctorate in chemistry from Northwestern University in 2010

Research:

Graduate research with Chad Mirkin at Northwestern, and undergraduate research with Professor Wayne Gladfelter at Minnesota

Work background highlights:

I work for a nanotechnology startup called AuraSense, which is working to commercialize potential therapeutics and research tools developed in Chad Mirkin's laboratory at Northwestern. I contributed to the development of some of these platforms during my graduate career and transitioned over to the company after graduation. The most exciting aspect of working at AuraSense is that we are developing very unique and potentially powerful tools for the treatment of intractable diseases like cancer and heart disease.

What one thing from your experiences in the University of Minnesota Department of Chemistry prepared you for what you currently are doing or plan to do in the future?:

My experiences in Professor Wayne Gladfelter's laboratory as an undergraduate were critical for my success.

I married University of Minnesota alumna, Erin McCauley, in 2009.