Contact Information
600 S. Mathews Avenue
MC-712
Urbana, IL 61801
Research Interests
Single-molecule biophysics, quantum sensing, microscopy
Research Description
The Backlund lab develops and applies new techniques for molecular sensing and imaging by leveraging tools from quantum information science and engineering. Approaches include nanoscale magnetic resonance using quantum defects in diamond and novel methods in single-molecule optical microscopy with designs informed by quantum metrological bounds. We apply our tools to target various systems of importance in biophysics, materials science, and chemistry. Amyloid proteins are of special biophysical interest.
Education
Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University, 2016-2020
Ph.D., Stanford University, 2016
B.S., University of California, Berkeley, 2010
Awards and Honors
Robert and Marvel Kirby Stanford Graduate Fellow, 2010-2013
Erich O. and Elly M. Saegebarth Prize, 2010
Additional Campus Affiliations
Assistant Professor, Chemistry
Recent Publications
Backlund, M. P. (2026). Quantum and quantum-inspired optical and magnetic microscopy of molecules. In S. V. Polyakov, P. Derr, & Y. Kim (Eds.), Quantum Effects and Measurement Techniques in Biology and Biophotonics III Article 1387206 (Progress in Biomedical Optics and Imaging - Proceedings of SPIE; Vol. 13872). SPIE. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3080724
Dingilian, A. I., Kurella, A., Chamria, D., Mitchell, C. S., Dhruva, D., Durden, D. J., & Backlund, M. P. (2026). Quantifying classical and quantum bounds for resolving closely spaced, non-interacting, simultaneously emitting dipole sources in optical microscopy. Journal of Chemical Physics, 164(9), Article 094201. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0316287
Mitchell, C. S., Dhruva, D., Burke, Z. P., Durden, D. J., Dingilian, A. I., & Backlund, M. P. (2026). Characterization of a new, quantum-inspired superresolution technique for high-NA fluorescence microscopy. In R. Erdmann, M. Heilemann, & F. Koberling (Eds.), Single Molecule Spectroscopy and Superresolution Imaging XIX Article 138580E (Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering; Vol. 13858). SPIE. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3078106
Das, A. K., Hegde, S., Woods, T. J., Wani, V. S., & Backlund, M. P. (2025). Direct Observation of Three Chiral Conformers of an Atomically Precise Metal Nanoparticle. Nano letters, 25(18), 7491-7498. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.5c01154
Hegde, S., Durden, D. J., Ajayakumar, L. P., Sivakumar, R., & Backlund, M. P. (2025). Quantum sensing in the fractional Fourier domain. Physical Review Applied, 23(2), Article 024035. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevApplied.23.024035