During his PhD studies, Moritz Burmeister researched how to extract trustworthy binding rates from single‑molecule microscopy videos. He introduced a simple analysis approach to avoid noise-induced mistakes. Moritz Burmeister then used extensive computer simulations to map when experiments are most likely to succeed. Finally, he applied these tools to thrombin (a blood‑clotting protein) and DNA-aptamers that bind it, uncovering more varied behavior than expected.

The results offer practical guidelines for designing reliable experiments and interpreting them with greater confidence. This marks a step toward more robust measurements that matter for biophysics, diagnostics, and drug development.

The PhD study was completed at Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO) Faculty of Natural Sciences, Aarhus University.

This summary was prepared by the PhD student.

Time: Thursday, January 15^th 2026 at 13:15
Place: Building 1593, room 012, iNANO AUD, Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, 8000 Aarhus C.s
Title of PhD thesis: Single-molecule kinetics from super-resolved colocalization microscopy
Contact information: Moritz Burmeister, e-mail: mobu@inano.au.dk
Members of the assessment committee:
Professor Michael Schlierf, Center for Molecular Bioengineering (B CUBE), TU Dresden, Germany
Reader Susan Cox, Randall Centre for Cell & Molecular Biophysics, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King's College London, UK
Professor Duncan Sutherland (chair), Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University, Denmark
Main supervisor: Associate Professor Victoria Birkedal, Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO) & Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Denmark
Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English

The defense is public.
The PhD thesis is available for reading at the Graduate School of Natural Sciences/GSNS, Ny Munkegade 120, building 1521, 8000 Aarhus C