Poulikakos Lab

Where Nanophotonics Illuminates Global Health Challenges.

Welcome! We are a theoretical and experimental research group, under the direction of Professor Lisa Poulikakos, in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at UC San Diego. We further the science and engineering of nanophotonic materials to controllably enhance, probe, and influence naturally occurring light-matter interactions. Nanophotonics, the study, and manipulation of light at the nanoscale hold great potential to address a range of societally-relevant challenges from sustainable energy technology, to information security and global health.

Research Areas

Nature-Inspired Photonic Surfaces for Imaging and Diagnostics

Acoustoplasmonics

Chiral and Anisotropic Colorimetric Metasurfaces

We are inspired by the rich palette of unexplored possibilities by which nanophotonic materials can exploit the interaction of light with biological matter from the molecular to the macro scale. Viewing trans-disciplinary challenges through the lens of optics, our research replicates and quantitatively visualizes the source and propagation of disease arising from mechanically, chemically, and thermally-induced optical disorders in biological matter. We aim to develop ex-vivo and in-vivo nanophotonic probes, which promise significant impact in low-cost medical diagnostics; rapid, on-chip biochemical drug testing, or widely-accessible in-situ biomedical imaging.

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