Designated Emphasis

Biophotonics is a highly interdisciplinary field that investigates the fundamental principles of the interaction of light with biological organisms, tissues, cells, and molecules and develops new technology for basic science and clinical applications based on these principles. Biophotonics is a relatively new scientific field that has been growing dramatically over the past 20 years as a result of technological advances in optical devices, materials, synthetic chemistry, and genetics. Active research areas include photoacoustic imaging, optical coherence tomography, molecular design of photosensitizers and probes, optogenetics, and super-resolution microscopy. The designated emphasis in Biophotonics and Bioimaging, housed in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, is intended to serve as a hub of biophotonics and bioimaging research and education on the Davis Campus and includes members across the Davis and Sacramento campuses, including the College of Engineering, School of Medicine, and College of Letters and Science.

The Designated Emphasis in Biophotonics and Bioimaging is a program designed to administer graduate training in conjunction with their Ph.D granting program. The Designated Emphasis allows students to gain a more fundamental understanding of biophotonics that could enrich their own research. The program is diverse and includes members across the Davis and Sacramento campuses, including the College of Engineering, School of Medicine, and College of Letters and Science.