Research

Our lab specializes in developing novel optical applications for biology. Our focus on 3D imaging and spectroscopy allows noninvasive, real-time, marker- and reagent-free characterization of cells, organoids, tissues and other biological samples.

3D imaging: Phase-based microscopy techniques reconstruct images in three dimensions using information encoded in the phase of the wavefront of light that either passes through or reflects from a microscopic object. Our lab includes two Digital Holographic Microscopy (DHM) setups (in transmission and reflection), Nanolive digital tomography setup, and a hybrid DHM/Transport-of-Intensity Equation (TIE) setup.

Spectroscopy: Spectroscopic techniques provide information about a sample by analyzing the light that is either emitted or scattered from it. These photons contain data about optical transitions possible within the sample material. Depending on the specific technique and particulars of the experiment, the sample’s chemical composition, structure, environmental conditions and many other parameters can be determined. Our lab has a Raman microspectroscopy system from Horiba. A terahertz quasi time domain spectroscopy (TDS) project is in currently progress.