Sailor is a nanotechnology researcher and professor at the University of California, San Diego.
[2] He pioneered the development of label-free biosensors from thin optical films of porous silicon.
[3] He prepared the first microparticles and nanoparticles of porous silicon,[4] and harnessed the intrinsic photoluminescence of these formulations for in vitro and in vivo imaging applications.
[5] He was the first to demonstrate time-gated luminescence imaging with these nanoparticles,[6] important because time-gating suppresses tissue autofluorescence that often compromises the fidelity of fluorescence images of biological tissues.
He also adapted the concept of "Smart Dust" to the field of nanotechnology: the idea that microscopic particles can be manufactured with optical, chemical, and mechanical properties that can perform sensing, signaling, and motive functions.