Prof. Laura Marcu
University of California, USA
Director, NIH-NIBIB National Center for Interventional Biophotonics Technologies (NCIBT)
Biomedical Engineering | Neurological Surgery
Fluorescence lifetime spectroscopy and imaging techniques, optical diagnosis of biological tissue, clinical applications of biophotonic technologies, label-free optical characterization of biomaterials.
Dr. Marcu's group is best
known for researching and engineering fluorescence
lifetime-based instrumentation and multimodal
imaging systems that enable studies of the
molecular, metabolic and morphologic changes in
living systems ranging from biological cells and
animal models to human patients. Her research
targets unique applications that impact clinical
management of critical human disease, with an
emphasis on three distinct areas: cardiovascular
systems (intravascular diagnostics), oncology
(intraoperative delineation of surgical margins) and
regenerative medicine (tissue engineering).
Prof. Chris Xu
Cornell University, USA
Director of the School of Applied and Engineering Physics
Mong Family Foundation Director of Cornell Neurotech-Engineering
IBM Professor of Engineering
Chris Xu's group at Cornell pioneered the development of temporal focusing and long-wavelength two- and three-photon microscopy for deep-tissue imaging. His current research areas are fiber optics and optical imaging, with major thrusts in deep-tissue imaging, laser development, and smart and efficient optical imaging. Prior to Cornell, he was a member of technical staff at Bell Labs and pioneered the development of differential phase-shift keying for long-haul fiber-optic communications. He received his Ph.D. in Applied Physics, Cornell University, and his B.S. in Physics from Fudan University. He served as the Director of Graduate Studies in Applied Physics from 2007 to 2013, and the Director of Undergraduate Studies of the School of Applied and Engineering Physics from 2014 to 2016. Dr. Xu has chaired or served on many conference organization committees and NSF/NIH review panels. He served on the NIH NEI External Scientific Oversight Committee of the Audacious Goal Initiative and is currently serving on the Optica Biomedical Congress Strategic Planning Committee. He served as Associate Editor for Biomedical Optics Express, and is on the editorial boards of several journals. He has served and is currently serving as consultants or on the advisory boards of a number of commercial companies and academic research centers. He has published 9 book chapters and more than 300 journal and conference papers. Dr. Xu has delivered more than 300 plenary/keynote/invited conference presentations and research seminars. In addition, he has given dozens of outreach talks. He holds 25 patents on optical communications and imaging. He has won the NSF CAREER award, Bell Labs team research award, and the Tau Beta Pi and two other teaching awards from Cornell Engineering College. He received a Cornell Engineering Research Excellence Award in 2017 and was selected as an Ivy+ Provost Leadership Fellow in 2022. He is a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and a fellow of Optica (formerly the Optical Society of America).
