Robert S. Marks
Robert S. Marks is a professor at the Department of Biotechnology Engineering, at the Ben Gurion University of the Negev. His PhD was at the Weizmann Institute, Israel and postdoctorate at the University of Cambridge, England. He has established in 1995 a biosensors laboratory at the Ben Gurion University, Israel, resulting in over 100 publications, 20 chapters, and 4 granted patents. His work consists in the development of fiber-optic probes, including both novel interfacial functionalization chemistries as well as transducer configuration, including, fiber-optic immunosensors (Ebola, Dengue, West Nile, Rift Valley fever viruses, Hepatitis C, Brucella and cholera toxin), and fiber-optic bioreporter biosensors (both for on-site testing or flow-through devices) for water monitoring (genotoxicity, cytotoxicity, heavy metals, endocrine disrupting compounds). Other projects consist in developing a chemiluminescent bioreporter nanotoxicity system, development of a reverse genetics cell reporter assay to influenza, and bioreporter panel fingerprints for the discovery of bioactive agents (antibiotics, quorum sensor inhibitors from marine microorganisms). Nanobiotechnology, including nanolithography, metal enhanced fluorescence or bioluminescence, nanoantennas, tailored nanomaterials including conductive or affinity hydrogels. He has chaired 16 international conferences, has given 64 invited and 45 contributed lectures at conferences, 160 posters presentation with colleagues and students, and 79 academic lectures around the world. He is affiliated to the National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev and the Ilse Katz Center for Meso and Nano-scale Science and Technology, and is an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland (UMBC) and at the Nanyang Technological University (MSE) where he heads the Water thrust of the NRF CREATE center Nanomaterials for Energy and Water Management, He was the editor-in-chief for the Wiley 2 Handbooks on Biosensors and Biochips and is presently the founding editor of the Pan Stanford series of the High Tech of Biotechnology.
