Dr. Halleh Balch is an experimental physicist and Assistant Professor at Stanford whose research focuses at the intersection of physics, biotechnology, and oceanography. The Balch Lab studies new approaches to control light-matter interactions at the nanoscale to address fundamental questions in oceanography and water sustainability. In particular, we focus on developing sensor systems based on new approaches to optoelectronics, spectroscopy, nanophotonics, and imaging and apply these to quantitatively study small molecules like toxins, signalling compounds, DNA/RNA, and climate-relevant gases produced across diverse oceanographic contexts. Balch holds a PhD in Physics from UC Berkeley and received her undergraduate degree in Physics and Literature from Swarthmore College.