Her work considers low-dimensional materials including nanowires, nanocrystals and biomaterials. Drndic uses electron beams to image and shape materials. In particular, Drndic works on two-dimensional nanopores, which are nanoscale size holes that can be used to detect single molecules. They are typically used for biomolecular analysis, but were unable to sequence DNA. Drndic demonstrated it is possible to use light to control the shape of nanopores, indicating it may be possible to fabricate them using light. By removing individual atoms from the nanopores using ion beams, Drndic demonstrated that the nanopores can also be used in water desalination. She has shown that nanopores can be integrated with field-effect transistors to sense nearby ionic and electrical currents. They can also provide information on the physical and chemical properties of biomolecules including DNA and proteins.