Committee Members:
Dr. Shuyi Nie, School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Tech
Dr. Haonan Lin, Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Tech and Emory
Dr. Costas D. Arvanitis, George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Tech; Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Tech and Emory
Dr. Wenshan Cai, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Tech; School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Tech

Compact and Intelligent Fourier Light-Field Microscopy for Volumetric Cardiovascular Imaging

Summary: Fourier light-field microscopy (FLFM) enables single-shot volumetric imaging of live biological specimens with reduced photodamage by using a microlens array to capture spatial and angular information in multiple elemental images, allowing computational reconstruction of a three-dimensional volume from a single camera exposure. This capability enables high-speed characterization of cardiac structure and function across in vitro and in vivo models, facilitating the study of cardiovascular development and disease and supporting future diagnostic and therapeutic research. The candidate proposes to develop a compact, low-latency microscopy platform by integrating a nanofabricated metasurface into the light-field microscope to replace bulky conventional optical components. The platform will be combined with accelerated reconstruction algorithms and edge-computing hardware to enable rapid interrogation of dynamic morphology and function from the cellular to the organ level. The candidate expects the resulting compact and intelligent meta-FLFM system to serve as a next-generation volumetric imaging platform for investigating dynamic biological processes in basic and translational biomedical research.