Optical techniques are fundamentally limited to near-surface imaging or to low resolution diffuse light scattering applications as the optical wavelengths of light significantly scatter through thick tissue, preventing the backscattered light from refocusing for precise image reconstruction. However, in photoacoustic or optoacoustic imaging, the absorption of light by existing endogenous molecules induces an acoustic wave which is not as susceptible to scattering as the incident optical wavelengths. The goal of this research is to develop and apply measurement technologies and standards to enable quantitative and functional photoacoustic imaging of biological samples with enhanced spatial and spectral resolutions. 

 

Ongoing research in this area involves: (1) performing photoacoustic microscopy, tomography, and spectroscopy; (2) employing novel optical sources including pulsed LEDs, supercontinuum lasers, frequency comb lasers for quantitative photoacoustic imaging and spectroscopy; (3) wave-front shaping for enhanced light focusing through a scattering medium (4) calibrating broadband and high frequency ultrasound sensors for their quantitative applications; (5) developing tissue-mimicking phantom standards; and (6) numerical simulating photoacoustic mechanisms and signal processing algorithms on various platforms.         

key words

photoacoustic microscopy; photoacoustic spectroscopy; photoacoustic tomography; superresolution; functional imaging; label-free; quantitative imaging; wavefront engineering

Citizenship:  Open to U.S. citizens

Level:  Open to Postdoctoral applicants