Hsin-Chih “Tim”Yeh

About

Tim Yeh obtained his B.S. from National Taiwan University, his M.S. from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University. Following his master’s degree, he worked as an R&D Engineer at Optical Micro Machines Inc. in San Diego, where he developed MEMS-based photonic switches for telecommunications. During his doctoral studies at Johns Hopkins, his research focused on single-molecule spectroscopy, BioMEMS, and fluorescence dynamics-based biosensing technologies.

Yeh completed his postdoctoral training at Los Alamos National Laboratory in the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies. There, he discovered controlled activation and color-switching phenomena in DNA-templated silver nanoclusters, leading to the invention of NanoCluster Beacons. This work earned a 2011 R&D 100 Award and the 2013 Postdoctoral Publication Prize in Experimental Sciences at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Since joining the Department of Biomedical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin in 2012, Yeh has established a multidisciplinary research program at the intersection of nanotechnology, molecular imaging, and biosensing. His research interests include functional nucleic acids, nanobiosensors, cancer biomarkers, single-molecule spectroscopy, 3D molecular tracking, super-resolution imaging, and spectrally resolved fluorescence lifetime imaging. The Yeh Research Group develops innovative nanomaterials and optical imaging technologies for molecular sensing and biological discovery. By integrating advanced molecular probes with state-of-the-art imaging techniques, the group seeks to enable highly sensitive detection of disease biomarkers and provide new insights into biological processes at the single-molecule and single-cell levels. His long-term goal is to advance next-generation diagnostic and imaging platforms that improve disease detection, monitoring, and treatment.

Educational Qualifications

Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University
M.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, National Taiwan University

Select Awards & Honors

• R&D 100 Award
• Postdoctoral Publication Prize in Experimental Sciences – Los Alamos National Laboratory

Related Websites

• NanoBiosensors and Molecular Tracking Laboratory
• Texas Materials Institute

Select Publications