Welcome to the Hancock Lab Website.

We are a diverse team of passionate scientists and engineers with physics, chemistry, biology, and engineering backgrounds. Our research focuses on studying the motor proteins kinesin and dynein. We also delve into various aspects of cellular processes, including the microtubule dynamics, as well as the mechanisms underlying the degradation of cellulose and PET (polyethylene terephthalate) through the cellulases and PETases. Equipped with state-of-the-art microscopes and other tools, we are ready to expand our understanding of fundamental biological processes and strive to make contributions to the field.

AVAILABLE POSITIONS

Email Dr. Hancock (woh1@psu.edu) to express your interest and inquire about availability of Post-Doc, PhD, Masters or Undergraduate positions.

THE HANCOCK LAB

Why is breaking down plant material for biofuels so slow?
Why is breaking down plant material for biofuels so slow?

Please check out our latest papers from Team Cellulose! We sincerely apologize for not marching faster on the way towards clean, renewable biofuel and lowering gas prices to below $2

Important Tips for Short Research Presentations
Important Tips for Short Research Presentations

Author: Will Hancock Because you only have 10 or 12 minutes, you need to be concise. Limit intro slides, and clearly state the goals of the project early in your

Missed events in biexpoential fits
Missed events in biexpoential fits

Author: William Hancock Problem:  Very often we measure distributions of times, run lengths, or other quantities, we plot the distribution, and we fit it with an exponential or biexponential.  Also,

Binding Densities in Flow Cells
Binding Densities in Flow Cells

Author: William Hancock Q:  What concentration of tubulin is needed to create a full monolayer of tubulin on the surface of a flow cell? A:  Tubulin is 8 nm x

Calculating Ionic Strength of Buffers
Calculating Ionic Strength of Buffers

Author: William Hancock For electrostatic interactions of proteins, the ionic strength is a major determinant, and so we want to be able to compare buffers of different ionic strengths.  The

How much protein do I lose to the side of my tube?
How much protein do I lose to the side of my tube?

Author: William Hancock Say you have about 30 ul in an Eppendorf tube.  You can lose protein by protein adsorbing to the side of the tube.  How much might you

A Guide to Keeping a Good Laboratory Notebook
A Guide to Keeping a Good Laboratory Notebook

Author: William Hancock General Comments: The purpose of a lab notebook is to keep a record of the experiments you have done so that you can refer back to them

Hancock Labs adventure-A journey to microtubules
Hancock Labs adventure-A journey to microtubules

Microtubules are like the high-speed expressways for motor proteins, made up of a protein called tubulin. In our lab, especially during our stop-flow experiments, we need a lot of microtubules

We submit a cellobiose inhibition paper today!
We submit a cellobiose inhibition paper today!

TIRF and IRM are ideal approaches to image small enzymes (tagged with fluorescence) interacting with big subtract(label-free ! e.g., microtubules, Cellulose, PET fibers)! Cellobiose slows down the velocity of cellulase

Senior design: An automatic protein purification system
Senior design: An automatic protein purification system

Senior Design Projects are teams of senior students from the School of Engineering collaborating on a compelling two-to-three-semester capstone project. This experiential initiative cultivates practical skills and augments the students’

Build a multimodal microscope in X minutes!
Build a multimodal microscope in X minutes!

Dr. Daguan Nong is building the SCATTIRSTORM microscope from bolts and nuts! And here is how it looks when it is finished! BUT, what is this, and how it works?

From iSCAT to SCATTIRSTORM: Adventures in Single-Molecule Microscopy
From iSCAT to SCATTIRSTORM: Adventures in Single-Molecule Microscopy

Dr. Hancock delivered a presentation on the adventures of single-molecule microscopy during the 2021 Biophysical Society (BPS).