i'm james
i'm a scientist and a founder. i work on the interface of chemistry, physics, biology, and computer science. here are lists of my publications and patents.
you can follow me on different channels: x, linkedin, strava, github
project highlights
publications
most of my work lives where chemistry, physics, and biology overlap: building molecules that shuttle energy around, wiring dyes onto dna to see how excitons move, and figuring out how to store information in dna and keep it stable at room temperature. the list below is roughly newest to oldest. the always-current version, with citations, is on google scholar.
- ensilication preserves high-molecular-weight native dna for clinical long-read sequencing: genome biology, 2026shows you can lock long, intact strands of dna inside a glass-like silica shell and later pull them back out clean enough for modern long-read sequencing. it's a way to keep clinical dna samples stable without a freezer.
- enabling global-scale nucleic acid repositories through versatile, scalable biochemical selection from room-temperature archives: nature communications, 2026a way to fish out exactly the dna sample you want from a huge shared pool kept dry at room temperature. the aim is giant, cheap biobanks that don't need cold storage.
- evaluation of ensilication technology for ambient dna preservation: nar molecular medicine, 2026a careful test of how well encasing dna in silica actually protects it over time and across conditions. it checks whether the recovered dna still holds up for demanding downstream tests.
- dna storage approaching the information-theoretic ceiling: arxiv preprint, 2026asks how much data you can really pack into dna before physics and chemistry say stop, and how close today's methods get. a theory piece mapping the limits of dna as a storage medium.
- preservation of full-length transcripts at ambient temperature using ensilication: biorxiv preprint, 2026extends the room-temperature silica trick from dna to rna, keeping whole messenger-rna transcripts intact. that matters because rna is fragile and normally needs deep freezers.
- transport of delocalized excitons through dna-based molecular photonic wires: acs nano, 2025we lined up dyes along dna to build tiny wires that carry packets of light energy called excitons. it's a step toward using dna as a scaffold for light-driven circuits.
- reversible nucleic acid storage in deconstructable glassy polymer networks: journal of the american chemical society, 2024traps dna inside a hard, glassy polymer for safekeeping, then dissolves the polymer on demand to release the dna unharmed. think of it as amber you can melt when you want your sample back.
- sculpting photoproducts with dna origami: chem, 2024uses folded dna shapes to hold molecules in precise spots so light-driven reactions happen exactly where you want. it turns dna origami into a tool for steering chemistry with light.
- nanoscale 3d spatial addressing and valence control of quantum dots using wireframe dna origami: nature communications, 2022places quantum dots at exact 3d coordinates using wireframe dna cages, and controls how many attach. it's like using dna as a pegboard for arranging nanoscale light emitters.
- activating charge-transfer state formation in strongly-coupled dimers using dna scaffolds: chemical science, 2022uses dna to hold two dye molecules close enough to share electrons in a specific way. controlling that interaction helps tune how the pair absorbs and moves energy.
- random access dna memory using boolean search in an archival file storage system: nature materials, 2021stored image files in dna and then retrieved just the ones matching a query, like searching a database. it showed dna archives can support random access instead of reading everything at once.
- engineering couplings for exciton transport using synthetic dna scaffolds: chem, 2021tunes how strongly neighboring dyes on a dna scaffold talk to each other, which sets how well energy hops between them. it's about designing light-harvesting materials strand by strand.
- scalable nucleic acid storage and retrieval using barcoded microcapsules: acs applied materials & interfaces, 2021packs dna into tiny barcoded capsules so many samples can be stored together and the right one pulled out by its tag. a practical route to organizing large dna libraries.
- poly(arylene-vinylene)s: encyclopedia of polymeric nanomaterials (book chapter), 2021a reference chapter surveying a family of light-active conjugated polymers used in organic electronics. it covers how they're made and why their structure matters for devices.
- identification of nonradiative decay pathways in cy3: journal of physical chemistry letters, 2020digs into why the common fluorescent dye cy3 loses some of its energy as motion instead of light. knowing those leak paths helps design brighter, more reliable dyes.
- programming structured dna assemblies to probe biophysical processes: annual review of biophysics, 2019a review of how custom-folded dna structures can act as rulers and scaffolds to study how biology works at the nanoscale.
- programmed coherent coupling in a synthetic dna-based excitonic circuit: nature materials, 2018built a dna circuit where dye molecules share energy in a coordinated, wave-like way. an early demonstration that dna can host quantum-style energy effects.
- aggregation-induced emission-mediated spectral downconversion in luminescent solar concentrators: materials chemistry frontiers, 2018uses dyes that glow brighter when clustered to shift sunlight into colors a solar cell prefers. the goal is cheaper, window-like panels that funnel light to their edges.
- molecular model of j-aggregated pseudoisocyanine fibers: journal of chemical physics, 2018builds a computer model of how certain dye molecules stack into fibers that carry light unusually well. understanding the packing explains their sharp, efficient absorption.
- emissive molecular aggregates and energy migration in luminescent solar concentrators: accounts of chemical research, 2017an overview of how clustered dyes move light energy inside luminescent solar concentrators, the transparent panels that collect sunlight at their edges.
- photophysics of j-aggregate-mediated energy transfer on dna: journal of physical chemistry letters, 2017shows that dye stacks grown on dna can pass light energy along efficiently. it links the world of light-harvesting dyes with dna nanotechnology.
- energy migration in organic solar concentrators with a molecularly insulated perylene diimide: journal of physical chemistry c, 2016wraps a bright dye in a molecular sleeve so it stays fluorescent even when packed densely, improving how the panel gathers light.
- high performance p-type molecular electron donors for opv applications via alkylthiophene catenation chromophore extension: beilstein journal of organic chemistry, 2016designs new small-molecule materials that donate electrons well in organic solar cells. better donors mean more efficient plastic photovoltaics.
- a transparent planar concentrator using aggregates of gem-pyrene ethenes: advanced energy materials, 2015makes a see-through panel that quietly collects sunlight and steers it to the edges for a solar cell. the trick is a dye that glows strongly only once it clumps.
- organic photovoltaic materials: design, synthesis and scale-up: the chemical record, 2015a review on designing and actually mass-producing the materials inside organic solar cells, bridging lab chemistry and manufacturing.
- concentrating aggregation-induced fluorescence in planar waveguides: a proof-of-principle: scientific reports, 2014an early proof that dyes which light up when aggregated can concentrate light inside a flat slab. it laid groundwork for cheaper luminescent solar collectors.
- efficient light harvesting of a luminescent solar concentrator using excitation energy transfer from an aggregation-induced emitter: physical chemistry chemical physics, 2014pairs two dyes so one captures sunlight and hands the energy to the other, boosting how much light the panel funnels to its edge.
- electronic nose based on conducting polymers for the discrimination of medicinal plants: applied mechanics and materials, 2014built a simple sensor array that smells medicinal plants by their vapors and tells them apart. an early, undergrad-era project mixing electronics and chemistry.
- electron deficient conjugated polymers based on benzotriazole: polymer chemistry, 2013makes electron-hungry polymers useful for organic solar cells and transistors. the benzotriazole unit tunes how the material handles charge.
patents
a few of these ideas turned into patents, mostly from my time at mit and the work that grew into cache. they cover how you write data into dna, how you find and pull it back out, and how you keep biomolecules alive without a freezer, plus some earlier work on solar concentrators. each invention is listed once, with its granted patents and any continuations grouped together.
- sequence-controlled polymer random access memory storage: us 11,514,331 b2 (2022), us 11,961,008 b2 (2024), and continuation app 18/589,141 (2024)the foundational patent behind storing digital data in dna and pulling out specific files on demand. instead of reading a whole archive end to end, the strands are tagged and indexed so you can search and retrieve just the ones you want. this is the random-access dna memory idea that later grew into cache.
- automated methods for scalable, parallelized enzymatic biopolymer synthesis and modification using microfluidic devices: us 11,851,651 b2 (2023) and continuation app 18/506,027 (2024)covers writing and modifying dna and other biopolymers automatically on tiny microfluidic chips, running many reactions side by side. the aim is to make synthesizing dna faster, cheaper, and far more scalable than doing it by hand. this is the writing side of making dna data storage practical.
- multiplexed signal amplification for selection of barcoded microparticles: wo 2025/059212 (2025, pending)a cache-era filing on finding and selecting barcoded microparticles by amplifying their signal, so you can pull the right sample out of a huge pool. it builds on the barcoded-microcapsule storage work.
- sequence-controlled polymer storage: us app. 17/836,726 (2022, pending)covers the system-level side of storing data in dna: how files are encoded, indexed, and searched across a large archive. it complements the random-access memory patents on the architecture and software side.
- storage and release of biomolecules: us app. 19/306,283 (2026, pending)covers locking dna or other fragile biomolecules inside a solid material for long-term, room-temperature storage, then releasing them intact when you need them. it's the patent behind the deconstructable-glass, or "synthetic amber," preservation work.
- solar concentrator: wo 2015/077836 (2015)my phd-era patent on luminescent solar concentrators: transparent panels that use aggregation-induced-emission dyes to gather sunlight and funnel it to a solar cell at the edge. filed through the university of melbourne.
brief facts about me
- born in the philippines; proud aussie citizen
- i have two undergraduate degrees in chemistry and a ph.d. in materials science
- my ph.d. was focused on the physics of energy transport in synthetic materials
- went to mit for postdoc where i learned how to do biology for the first time
- learned how to sound american by watching friends and house m.d.
- learned deutsch from a priest
- big tom brady and michael jordan fan
- currently in love with board sports: surfing and snowboarding
- won a triathlon and finished a 10-mile swim; still unclear why folks like endurance sports
- spun out my first startup from mit
feel free to reach out via email