Rate My Professor Frank Vollmer

Frank Vollmer is Professor of Biophysics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and at the Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter. He leads a multi-disciplinary research program in molecular, nano- and quantum sensors and systems, unique in the UK. This initiative pioneers techniques to detect and visualize nanoscale processes, integrating nanophotonics, nanoplasmonics, quantum optics, molecular mechanics including molecular machines and synthetic biology, molecular electronics, and neuroscience. His work addresses applications in health, nanotechnology, metrology, environmental monitoring, security, and astronomy. Key research fields include quantum physics, electronics sensors and digital hardware, nanotechnology, data management and data science, and atomic molecular and optical physics. Vollmer's laboratory develops optical microcavities and microlasers for single-molecule and single-ion detection, as demonstrated in publications such as 'Single-atomic-ion detection with plasmon-enhanced whispering-gallery-mode microlasers' in Nature Photonics (2026) and 'Thermo-Optoplasmonic Single-Molecule Sensing on Optical Microcavities' in ACS Nano (2024).