Jörg Woehl

Jörg Woehl is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), within the College of Letters & Science. His research focuses on interdisciplinary biophysical chemistry, nanotechnology, and ultra-sensitive analysis. He leads the Woehl Group, which investigates molecular electric fields' roles in biological processes and develops novel trapping techniques for single biomolecules.

Woehl holds a PhD from the University of California, Riverside. His work integrates single-molecule imaging, nanophotonics, and cryogenic techniques to study protein function, particularly in myoglobin and hemoglobin. He has pioneered corral trapping—a method using electrostatic fields to immobilize nanoparticles and biomolecules—for applications in molecular assembly and DNA analysis.

Key research themes include molecular electric field sensing via fluorescent heme analogs, dielectrophoretic trapping for particle manipulation, and advanced microscopy instrumentation like PSFLab software, used globally for point-spread function modeling. Woehl collaborates widely, including with Dr. Chang’s Mechanical Engineering group on trap stiffness analysis.

His lab provides students with expertise in laser spectroscopy, photolithography, and scanning probe microscopy. While no awards are explicitly listed, his contributions to optical and biophysical instrumentation reflect significant recognition in the field.