PAIR Conference 2023

Dr. Puxiang Lai graduated with PhD from Boston University in 20211 and is currently an Associate Professor with Department of Biomedical Engineering and Photonics Research Institute, Hong Kong Polytechnic University.  His research interests focus on deep-tissue optical focusing, imaging, stimulation, and treatment. Current research projects include, but are not limited to, wavefront shaping, photoacoustic imaging, computational optics, and artificial intelligence. His research has fueled more than 80 top journal publications, such as Nature Photonics, Nature Communications, Light: Science and Applications, PhotoniX, The Innovation, and Advanced Science. He has been invited to give more than 90 seminars or invited talks worldwide. Since 2015, his research has been continuously supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), Hong Kong Research Grant Council (RGC), Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC), Department of Science and Technology of Guangdong Province, and Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission (STIC). Dr. Lai was awarded the 2016-2017 Hong Kong RGC Early Career Award, the 2018 Hong Kong Polytechnic University Faculty of Engineering Research Grant Achievement Award, the 2019 PolyU K.C. Wong Belt and Road Visiting Fellowship Award, and the 2020 Hong Kong Polytechnic University Faculty of Engineering Faculty Research Award. As a recognition for his contribution to the field, currently Puxiang serves as Associate Editor or Editor for several premium journals like Advanced Photonics Nexus, The Innovation, Journal of Visual Computing for Industry, Biomedicine, and Art (VCIBA), Journal of Innovative Optics in Health and Science (JIOHS), and Medicine in Novel Technology and Devices (MEDNTD).

Topic: "High-resolution optical focusing, imaging, stimulation, and encryption with scattered light"

^Abstract

The usage of light has considerably reshaped the landscape of biomedicine in the past decades from imaging, sensing, treatment, stimulation, to control. The applications, however, are limited to superficial layers beneath sample surface or compromised resolution at depths due to the inherent nature of strong optical scattering in tissue. Many approaches have been proposed to tackle this challenge, such as switching to longer wavelengths to have lower tissue scattering coefficients, converting diffused light into not-so-scattered sound at the signal detection side, etc. In this talk, we will focus on wavefront shaping, a strategy of suppressing scattering by pre-compensating for the scattering-induced phase distortions. We will present the basics of working principle and our continuing endeavors in these directions, including the development of ultra-minimally invasive deep-brain neuron stimulation method and the exploiting of speckles arising from multiple scattering as a tool for information encryption that has an unprecedented digit key length. Challenges and roadmaps towards wide applications will also be briefed.