Probing Life with Photons

Both my current research and long-term goal are devoted to the development of novel biophotonic technologies to enable molecule-based precision diagnosis and treatment of human diseases. During my Ph.D. training, my research focused the development of intravascular photoacoustic imaging, as well as its clinical translation. This technology provides spatially resolved lipid-specific compositional information within arterial wall for advanced assessment of atherosclerotic plaques, which is imperative but lacking in current commercial intravascular modalities including intravascular ultrasound and optical coherent tomography. Starting from my postdoctoral fellow, I switched my gear and spearheaded to the development of  drug-free antimicrobial phototherapy. I co-invented several phototherapy concepts to treat bacterial and fungal infections by harnessing the unique photophysics and photochemistry of endogenous chromophores inside microbes. As an example, we demonstrated photolysis of staphyloxanthin, a membrane-bound golden pigment that gives Staphylococcus aureus its name, as a novel phototherapy platform to treat antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections. More recently, we demonstrated our translational development effort for utilizing antimicrobial blue light for wound infection control, including new therapeutic window, bathing regimen, and wearable device. These research experiences have triggered my enthusiasm to become an independent scientist to continue developing novel biophotonic technologies and further translating them into clinical practice to make a real impact. 

Awards/Recognition

2024         SPIE Translational Research Award, SPIE

2024         QPC Lasers Young Investigator Best Paper Award, SPIE Photonics West

2022     MHSRS Young Investigator Award Finalist, US Department of Defense

2021     OPTICA Outstanding Reviewer Award, OPTICA

2019     SPIE-Franz Hillenkamp Postdoctoral Fellowship Award ($75,000), SPIE

2019     SPIE Photonics West Travel Award, SPIE

2018     PDPA Travel Award, Boston University

2018     MHSRS Young Investigator Award Finalist, US Department of Defense

2016     Physics Department Travel Award, Purdue University

Professional Association/Service 

2024-       Editorial Board Member, Biophotonics Discovery

2022-       Program Committee, SPIE Translational Research Forum

2020-22 Educational Committee, Wellman Center for Photomedicine at MGH

2021         Student Mentor/Instructor, 2021 Harvard-MIT Summer Institute at MGH

2015-       Members of SPIE, OPTICA, BMES, AHA, and ASLMS

2014-       Ad-hoc Journal Reviewers for Nature Communications, Communications Biology, Optics Letter, Optics Express, Biomedical Optics Express, Applied Optics, Neurophotonics, Journal of Biomedical Optics, Sensors, Scientific Reports, Photoacoustics, Frontiers in  Microbiology ...