MoMo Zandieh was a PhD student (2019–2022) and a postdoctoral fellow (2023–2024) in Professor Juewen Liu’s Group at the University of Waterloo. During this time, he made significant contributions to the Microplastics Fingerprinting project, a multidisciplinary initiative with over 30 faculty members, masters and PhD students, and support staff. The team’s diverse expertise facilitates a comprehensive approach to addressing the challenges and solutions associated with microplastics.
MoMo’s research within the project focused on two key areas:
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Microplastics detection using DNA aptamers: MoMo systematically studied the adsorption of DNA oligonucleotides onto various microplastics. He explored the effects of environmentally abundant metal ions, transition metal ions, DNA structures, and the wettability of microplastics on DNA adsorption. His work laid the foundation for developing DNA aptamers optimized for microplastics detection.
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Catalytic degradation of microplastics: MoMo also explored the catalytic degradation of microplastics at elevated temperatures using highly stable catalytic nanomaterials. His work demonstrated potential pathways for catalytic degradation as a remediation strategy.
In collaboration with other team members, MoMo co-authored seven peer-reviewed publications during his nearly three years with the Liu group.
In May 2024, MoMo joined the Institute of Structural Molecular Biology at University College London, UK, as a Research Fellow. His current work centres on DNA nanotechnology, particularly studying the interactions between DNA and lipid bilayers. MoMo remains passionate about leveraging DNA nanotechnology for environmental applications, specifically in microplastics research.