Faculty Research
Biophysics
Our research is primarily in biophysics and nanomedicine with a central focus on disease detection and biomarker discovery. We modulate the nanoparticles protein corona composition and use the dynamic formation of the protein corona on nanoparticles when exposed to biological fluids, to capture rare and low-abundance biomolecules for various disease detection purposes. Additionally, we use innovative emerging technologies, including magnetic levitation to develop novel disease diagnostic platforms based on the unique respond of biomolecules to external magnetic fields. Furthermore, our research investigates fundamental charge transport characteristics across biomolecules in single molecular junctions with practical applications in biotechnology and bioelectronics.
Biological systems are complex, noisy, and comprise all life. Increasingly, experimental and theoretical approaches from physics have been put into action to quantitatively investigate these biological systems: this subfield is called biophysics. Skills that trainees learn from biophysics are relevant for careers in biotechnology, bioinformatics, medicine, and more. At UCCS, the Jones lab uses statistical physics and ecological modeling approaches to investigate microbial ecosystems that are relevant for microbiome-based medical therapies.
Classical and Quantum Magnonics
Microwave Magnonics Group research primarily focuses on the field of magnonics, with an emphasis on studying the fundamental properties of magnons and their interactions in magnetic materials. This includes exploring the dynamics of spin waves, magnon gases, condensates, non-equilibrium magnon systems, and aiming to understand their behavior both in classical and quantum regimes. Research also delves into the potential applications of magnon-based devices for information processing, spintronics, and low-energy computing technologies. Prof. Bozhko's labs are equipped with the state-of-the-art microwave and optical characterization equipment including space-, time-, and wavevector-resolved Brillouin Light Scattering (BLS) setup and 300mK cryostat.
Nanotechnology and plasmonics
Nanotechnology is a highly interdisciplinary field with applications spanning optics, communication, medical imaging, and materials science. Our research focuses on exploring light-matter interactions at the nanoscale, with particular emphasis on plasmonics and metamaterials. Our current work includes developing advanced biochemical sensing platforms based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), fluorescence, and surface plasmon resonance. We are also investigating near-infrared laser and RF hyperthermia using nanoparticle conjugates, as well as engineering nonradiative decay processes in molecules near plasmonic nanoparticles. Additional projects focus on plasmon-enhanced perovskite solar cells and the design of parity-time (PT) symmetric metamaterials.
Soft condensed matter
Liquid crystals and nanostructured materials based on them remain to be one of the hottest topics of modern soft condensed matter physics. Our research focuses on fundamental understanding of physical properties of liquid crystals combined with polymers, thin films, and nanoparticles. Then we proceed to technological advancement creating novel functional materials and designing devices based on them – from tunable lenses, beam steering devices in visible, infrared and microwave regions of spectra, to flexible displays and tunable filters – in the effort of establishing pioneering research to reach ground-breaking hi-tech milestones.
Theoretical Solid State Physics
My primary research focuses on linear and nonlinear behaviors of excitations in solids – magnon, plasmons, and phonons. Each of these excitations interact with electromagnetic waves to and lead to practical devices such as isolators, phase shifters, and filters which work in the microwave and tera-hertz frequencies. I also am working on multiple biophysics projects involving the use of magnetic nanoparticles for detection and treatments of diseases including cancers. Finally, I have interests in liquid crystals and predicting the magnetic behavior of natural and artificial magnetic structures as a function of temperature and applied magnetic fields.
Magnetic materials exhibit nonlinear and far-from-equilibrium dynamics. Our research focuses on the intersection between far-from-equilibrium and nonlinear magnetization dynamics. Current efforts are directed towards the numerical modeling of ultrafast dynamics and three-dimensional topological solitons, material modeling and discovery via machine learning, and magnon dispersion in magnetic metamaterials including magnonic crystals and artificial spin ices. We are also interested in the spin hydrodynamic representation of magnetization dynamics from an analytical point of view.
