About the Lab
The lab designs functional nanomaterials to solve challenges in chemistry, materials science, and biomedicine. We focus on plasmonic and photothermal nanoparticles and on nucleic acid-based architectures. Using light-responsive systems, we control synthesis, catalysis, and environmental processes with high precision and low energy use.
We create hybrid platforms by integrating biomolecules, engineered materials, nanoparticles, and metal-organic frameworks through covalent and supramolecular interactions. These systems enable selective polymerization, real-time biosensing, water harvesting, and light-triggered molecular transformations.
We foster a collaborative environment that pairs curiosity with independence across disciplines. Our goal is to train the next generation of innovators in nanoscale science and technology.
Scholar Profile
Yossi Weizmann joined the Department of Chemistry at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev as an Associate Professor and was promoted to Full Professor in 2023. He is a member of the Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science &Technology, and the Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change.
Dr. Weizmann conducted research in biosensors and nanostructure materials in the Chemistry Departments of Hebrew University (PhD), MIT (postdoctoral research), and at the University of Chicago (Assistant Professor). At Chicago, in addition to research, and serving on multiple committees, he built a dynamic group of young scientists, many of whom later earned prestigious academic appointments.
At BGU, Prof. Weizmann researches photothermal nanochemistry, using plasmonic nanoparticles to drive precise, energy-efficient reactions and wavelength selective synthesis. His group embeds photothermal agents to localize heating for metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), nanocrystals, and functional polymers. The lab designs programmable DNA and RNA architectures for enzymatic assays, biosensing, and molecular control, and translates these advances into portable diagnostics, including ultrafast plasmonic quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)-based and DNA-based point-of-care tests. They also engineer composites for atmospheric water harvesting with on-demand photothermal release.
Prof. Weizmann is an inventor on 19 patents. He co-founded Sensona Inc., which develops portable, energy-efficient, ultrafast qPCR devices. He also co-founded Naalos AS, which advances ultrasensitive, label-free chemical interrogation of solids, liquids, and gases using miniature all-silicon metamaterial antennas operating at radio frequency. He serves as a consultant to multiple technology companies.
