Academic & Research Experience
🔬 Ph.D. in Physics
Georgia Institute of Technology | Atlanta, GA | 2010 – 2015
Thesis: Physics of Sensing for Graphene Solution Gated Field Effect Transistors
Advisor: Prof. Jennifer E. Curtis
- Device Fabrication & Characterization: Designed and fabricated solution-gated graphene FETs (SGFETs) utilizing epitaxial and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) graphene. Developed a comprehensive electrical characterization platform functioning in liquid environments.
- Theoretical Modeling & Biosensing: Investigated ionic strength sensing, surface charge effects, and non-specific protein adsorption (e.g., histone, BSA). Utilized Dirac voltage shifts and electrical double layer (EDL) modeling combined with surface ionization theory.
- Quantitative Analysis: Quantified charged impurities and ionizable surface groups through the application of self-consistent approximation (SCA) and high-carrier-density conductance analysis.
- Impact: Delivered a comprehensive thesis that established the fundamental limits and optimization strategies for graphene-based biosensors. A late-stage pivot to scalable CVD graphene significantly improved device yield and reproducibility.
🧪 Microrheology Research
Georgia Institute of Technology | Atlanta, GA | 2007 – 2010
(In collaboration with Max-Planck Institute Stuttgart and University of Manchester)
Project: Untangling Hyaluronan-Protein Networks and Function
Advisor: Prof. Jennifer E. Curtis
- Experimental Rheology: Applied Video Particle Tracking Microrheology (PTMR) and Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching (FRAP) techniques to characterize viscoelastic shear moduli (1–1000 Hz). Measured the mesh size and transport properties of monodisperse hyaluronan (HA) solutions across varying molecular weights (160 kDa – 2500 kDa).
- Polymer Theory & Biophysics: Explored scaling laws predicted by polymer theory, preparing the groundwork for advanced studies of HA-binding proteins (HABP, versican G1 domain, TSG-6 link domain).
- Impact: Presented research as a poster titled “Untangling Hyaluronan-Protein Networks and Function” at the Biophysical Society 54th Annual Meeting (2010).
đź“š M.Sc. in Physics
Universidad de los Andes | Bogotá, Colombia | 2002 – 2004
Thesis: Nonlinear Intersubband THz Absorption in Asymmetric Quantum Well Structures
Advisor: Dra. Angela S. Camacho
- Quantum Mechanical Modeling: Developed transfer-matrix methods (utilizing exponential and Airy functions) and density-matrix perturbation theory (up to 3rd order) to calculate linear and nonlinear susceptibility in asymmetric double quantum wells (ADQWs).
- Simulation & Parameter Tuning: Performed systematic parameter sweeps of well/barrier widths and DC electric fields to precisely tune anticrossings and nonlinear absorption peaks within the THz range.
- Photonics Discoveries: Identified specific conditions necessary for generating giant second- and third-order nonlinearities, as well as negative absorption (gain) peaks.
- Impact & Publications:
- M. Bedoya and A. S. Camacho, Phys. Rev. B 72, 155318 (2005)
- M. Bedoya and A. S. Camacho B., Phys. Status Solidi C 2, 2986 (2005) — Featured on Journal Cover
đź’» M.Sc. in Systems Engineering and Computation
Universidad de los Andes | Bogotá, Colombia | 1998 – 2000
Thesis: Simulador microscópico de tráfico automotor (Microscopic Simulator of City Traffic)
Advisor: Dr. José Tiberio Hernández
- Software Engineering Simulation: Built a comprehensive, cellular-automata-based traffic simulator complete with a graphical user interface (GUI) designed for modeling and visualizing complex urban traffic networks.
🔌 B.S. in Electronics Engineering
Universidad Javeriana | Bogotá, Colombia | 1993 – 1997
Undergraduate Thesis: AplicaciĂłn de DTW en el reconocimiento de habla continua (Continuous Speech Recognition using Dynamic Time Warping)
Advisor: Dr. Adolfo LeĂłn Recio
- Signal Processing: Implemented Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) algorithms combined with delta cepstral coefficients to achieve robust connected-word/phrase recognition (handling a ~300-word vocabulary).
- Pipeline Development: Developed the complete speech processing pipeline, entirely encompassing feature extraction, manual segmentation, DTW alignment, and connected-word level-building logic.