Minseok
Kwak, Ph.D.
Email: minseok.kwak@wyss.harvard.edu / Homepage: http://mkwak.org
Experience
Jul 2011 - present Research
Fellow (supervisor: William M. Shih)
Dana-Farber
Cancer Institute / Wyss Institute for
Biologically Inspired Engineering
at
Harvard University, Boston, United States
Feb 2011 - Jun 2011 Postdoctoral
Associate (supervisor: Andreas Herrmann)
University
of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
Feb 2011 Visiting
researcher at the Centre for Ophthalmology, University Eye Hospital,
Tübingen,
Germany
Education
Sep 2007 - Jan 2011 PhD,
Chemistry (promoters: Andreas Herrmann and Klaus Müllen)
University
of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
“Self-Assembled
Structures and Applications of DNA Hybrid Materials”
Jun 2006 - Aug 2007 PhD,
Chemistry (promoter: Klaus Müllen, supervisor: Andreas Herrmann)
Max-Planck-Institute
for Polymer Research, Mainz, Germany
Mar 2004 - Feb 2006 Master,
Materials Chemistry (supervisor: Kwang-Yol Kay)
Dep.
of Mol. Sci. and Tech., Ajou University, Suwon, South Korea
“Synthesis
and Characterization of Various Electron-donor and Acceptor(C60) Dyads”
Feb 2004 Bachelor,
Chemistry, Ajou University, Suwon, South Korea
Special Knowledges
Supramolecular self-assembly of nanoarchitectures: nucleic acids,
gold nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, proteins, polymer amphiphiles
Large-scale chemical synthesis of modified and native
oligonucleotides, their fast purification and characterization: solid-phase
DNA/RNA synthesis, analytical/preparative HPLC and gel electrophoresis
Design and synthesis of small compounds and macromolecules:
conventional polymers, C60 derivatives, π-conjugated systems
Loading and labeling of polymeric and DNA micelles
Design and preparation of complex DNA nanostructures (known as DNA
origamis)
Characterization of nanoobjects: dynamic light scattering (DLS),
transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Förster
resonance energy transfer (FRET)
Scientific programming skills: MATLAB, PHP, database
Awards
Rubicon postdoctoral fellowship, Netherlands organisation for
scientific research (NWO) 2011
- 2013
cofunded by
Marie-Curie - position 1 final ranking in the cluster Life
Science on call 2011-March
Ubbo Emmius Scholarship, University of Groningen 2007 - 2011
Brain Korea 21 Scholarship, Korea Research Foundation 2004
- 2005
Teaching
Experiences
Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Mainz, Germany May - Jun 2007
Teaching Assistant, Rheology in Physical Chemistry
Teaching theory and experiments regarding the physical behavior of
polymers to 32 students
Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Mainz, Germany Mar - Jun 2007
Teaching Assistant, Lab Course in Organic Chemistry
Ensuring safety and assisting students in the lab
Ajou University, Suwon, South Korea Mar 2004 - Dec 2005
Teaching Assistant / Tutor, Lab Course and Exercises in General
Chemistry
Teaching general chemistry lab courses to freshmen and helping
students to solve textbook exercises
See list of
publications (here)
List of
Presentations
Lecture and oral
presentations:
“DNA Block Copolymers for Applications in Electronics and
Biomedicine”, School of Nano-Biotechnology and Chemical Engineering, Ulsan
National Institute of Science and Engineering, Ulsan, South Korea, 30 November
2010 (invited lecture, hosted by Prof. K.T. Kim).
“DNA Block Copolymers for Applications in Electronics and Biomedicine”,
Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, Suwon, South
Korea, 24 November 2010 (invited lecture, hosted by Prof. J.H. Kim).
“DNA Block Copolymers for Applications in Electronics and
Biomedicine” , 10th Dutch Polymer Days, Veldhoven, The
Netherlands, 16 February 2010 (plenary keynote lecture)
“DNA Block Copolymers, Versatile Hybrid Materials: from Synthesis to
Applications” , 103rd meeting of the Korean Chemical Society, Seoul,
South Korea, 17 April 2009
“DNA Hybrid Materials: Current research of DNA block copolymers and
DNA surfactants” , Pore Meeting of the Zernike Institute for Advanced
Materials, Groningen, The Netherlands, 11 February 2009
“Single-Walled Nanotube Dispersion with DNA Block Copolymers” , 9th Dutch Polymer Days, Luntern, The Netherlands, 2 February 2009
“DNA Block Copolymers” , Kick-off Consortium Meeting of the
Electronically Programmable Chemical Cells (ECCELL, EU sponsored project in
Framework Programme 7), Venice, Italy, 20 October, 2008
Selected poster
presentations:
Kwak M;
Herrmann A, “DNA-functionalized blend micelles: mix and fix polymeric hybrid
nanostructures”, FNANO 11, Salt Lake City, U.S.A., 11 April 2011
Musser AJ; Kwak M; Lee J; Herrmann A, “Stabilized Micellar
Nanostructure of DNA-b-PPO and Pluronics Block Copolymer Blends”, 10th Dutch Polymer Days, Veldhoven, The Netherlands, 15-16 February 2010
Kwak M;
Herrmann A, “A General Strategy for the Loading of Virus-like Particles
Mediated by DNA Block Copolymer Micelles”, International Advisory Panel Meeting
of Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, Groningen, The Netherlands, 11
December 2009
Kwak M;
Herrmann A, “Single-Walled Nanotube Dispersion with DNA Block Copolymers”,
Vlieland Conference of Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, Vlieland, The
Netherlands, 28 March 2009
Kwak M;
Alemdaroglu FE; Herrmann A, “DNA Block Copolymers - Versatile Hybrid
Materials”, Minerva School on Biological and Bio-inspired Materials, Berlin,
Germany, 2007
Kwak M; Kay
KY, “Intramolecular Charge-Transfer Interactions in Two New Dyads Based on C60 and Bis(N,N’-dimethyl or diphenyl substituted)
Aniline Donor”, 203th National Meeting & Exposition of the
American Chemical Society, Washington DC, U.S.A., 2005
Kwak M; Kay
KY, “Synthesis and Characterization of Novel
Triphenylamine(donor)-Fullerene(acceptor) Dyads”, Joint Meeting of the Electro
Chemical Society, Honolulu, U.S.A., 2004
Four more poster presentations in Korean Chemical Society Meetings
in 2004-2005
Other Trainings:
Feburary 18-19, 2009 “Dynamic
Presentation”, Groningen, by Ludens Seminars & private coaching
August 28-29, 2010 “Grant
Writing for Beginners”, Groningen, as a satellite workshop to the ECOSS conference