The Team
Andreas H. Hielscher, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Andreas H. Hielscher received his PhD degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Rice University, Houston, Texas, in 1995. After spending 2 years as Postdoctoral Fellow at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, he joined the faculty at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. In September 2001 he moved to Columbia University in New York City, where he became the Director of the Biophotonics and Optical Radiology Laboratory. He held appointments as Full Professor in the Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Radiology. Since July 1, 2020, he serves as Chair of the newly established Dept. of Biomedical Engineering at New York University‘s Tandon School of Engineering.
Dr. Hielscher made pioneering contribution in the field of Biomedical Optics. His work currently focuses on the development of state-of-the-art imaging software and hardware for optical tomography. He applies this emerging technology to imaging of cancer, peripheral artery disease (PAD) in diabetic patients, and joint diseases. He has published over 200 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals and conference proceedings. Dr. Hielscher’s work has been funded, among others, by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLB), the National Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), the Whitaker Foundation for Biomedical Engineering, and the New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research.
Hyun K. Kim, Ph.D.
Associate Faculty
Dr. Hyun Keol Kim is an Associate Professor of Radiology (Physics) at Columbia University Medical Center. Dr. Kim earned his PhD. degree in Mechanical Engineering at Korea Advanced Institute of Sciences and Technology (KAIST) in 2004. During this time at KAIST, Dr. Kim studied how spectral remote sensing could be used to recover optical properties such as absorption and scattering inside the medium, via both theoretical modeling and experimental validation. In 2006, he joined Dr. Hielscher’s group in Biomedical Engineering of Columbia University and has been involved in various research projects including finger joints, breast cancer, vascular disease, and small animals until 2011. Dr. Kim then joined in 2012 the Department of Radiology as a faculty member at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Dr. Kim has expertise in the development of mathematical and physical models of transport-related biological systems, which includes characterization of light-tissue interaction, 3D imaging of physiological parameters, 3D molecular imaging, and a modeling of chemical species transport. He has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed journal and conference proceedings papers, and also contributed chapters to 2 books on medical imaging and 6 patent applications. Dr. Kim is currently working on the project “Optical tomographic imaging of Peripheral Arterial Disease” which is funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH). Furthermore he provides the theoretical underpinning for a multi-institutional project that is developing wearable interfaces for communicating with the brain, which is part of DARPA’s Next-Generation Nonsurgical Neurotechnology (N3) program.
Alessandro Marone, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor
Dr. Alessandro Marone is a biomedical and electrical engineer with expertise in modeling physical and biological systems. He applies this expertise, together with his knowledge of image reconstructing techniques to the analysis of experimental data. In recent years he has focused on optical imaging techniques for the assessment of joint disease, breast cancer, and peripheral artery disease. Before joining NYU as a Research Assistant Professor, Dr. Marone was an Associate Research Scientist in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Columbia University in New York. Dr. Marone holds a B.S. and a M.S. in Electronic Engineering and a Ph.D. in Information Technology from the Polytechnic University of Milan, Italy.
Fay Wang, M.S.
Ph.D. Student
Fay is a second year Ph.D. student in biomedical engineering at Columbia University. She is interested in the clinical translation of optical devices, particularly to study breast cancer, and the development of portable and wearable devices to increase accessibility to imaging for all. Outside of lab, you can find her trying out every coffee shop in the city, going for a run in Central Park, or checking out local art exhibits.
Nisha Maheshwari, M.S.
Ph.D. Student
Nisha is a recent Columbia University graduate with an M.S. in Biomedical Engineering. They are interested in product design of non-invasive or minimally invasive medical devices for diagnostics and treatment of various diseases. Nisha is currently working on a low-cost system for the detection and quantification of peripheral arterial disease (PAD). This includes the expansion of the existing functionality and improvement of the clinical utility, accuracy and user-friendliness. When not in the lab, they are exploring New York, dancing, and going to museums.
Ameen Bardien, M.S.
Ph.D. Student
Ameen is a first year PhD student in biomedical engineering. He is interested in the design of medical devices and doing hands-on work on instrumentation projects. He is currently working on putting together an updated prototype of the Dynamic Optical Tomographic Breast Imaging System (DOTBIS) used for predicting cancer therapy outcomes. Outside of the lab, you can find Ameen cooking up a storm, watching Formula 1 or football (soccer), or hanging out with friends.