Cindy Berrie

Cindy Berrie is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Kansas, where she also serves as the Departmental Honors Program Coordinator. Her research group focuses on fundamental investigations of nanoscale properties of materials with applications in nanobiodevices.

Dr. Berrie earned her B.S. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1992, followed by a Ph.D. from the University of California-Berkeley in 1997. She completed postdoctoral research at JILA, University of Colorado from 1997-2000 before joining the University of Kansas faculty.

Her research spans bioanalytical chemistry, protein-surface interactions, surface chemistry, scanning probe microscopy, and nanoscale fabrication. Her work investigates how nanoscale structure affects biomolecule adsorption, friction and adhesion, and electrical conductivity of organic molecules. She has developed methods for creating well-characterized nanoscale-structured thin films and has conducted significant research on protein adsorption, particularly fibrinogen and F1 ATPase, using atomic force microscopy.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a consistent focus on nanoscale phenomena with applications in biosensors, molecular electronics, and biomaterial interfaces. Her work bridges fundamental surface science with practical applications in nanotechnology, particularly in developing patterned surfaces for controlled biomolecule positioning and studying charge transport in nanostructured organic systems.

Dr. Berrie has maintained an active research program since 2004, with publications spanning biochemistry, materials science, nanotechnology, and analytical chemistry. Her collaborative work with researchers like Mark Richter on F1 ATPase orientation demonstrates her interdisciplinary approach to solving complex problems at the interface of chemistry, physics, and biology.

She leads the Berrie Research Group, which employs advanced techniques including atomic force microscopy, surface plasmon resonance, and nanoscale patterning methods to investigate fundamental questions in surface science and their applications to future nanobiodevices.