The Foster Research Group
Our Team
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Thomas Foster, Ph.D. - thomas.foster@rochester.edu Professor of Imaging Sciences of Physics and of Optics |
| Professor Foster received his B.S. in Physics from Stevens Institute of Technology in1983. Following two years at the General Electric Research and Development Center, he came to the University of Rochester where he received the Ph.D. in Physics (1990). He joined the faculty at the University as an Assistant Professor of Radiology in 1990. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1994 and is currently Professor of Imaging Sciences, of Physics, of Optics, and of Oncology. Professor Foster recently completed a four-year term as a member of the National Institutes of Health Radiation Therapeutics and Biology study section and an eight-year term as Associate Editor of the journal Photochemistry and Photobiology. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and serves on the Research Program Committee of the Canadian Institute for Photonic Innovation. | |
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Soumya Mitra, Ph.D. - soumya_mitra@urmc.rochester.edu Research Assistant Professor in Imaging Sciences |
| Soumya received his B.Sc. (1993) and M.Sc. (1995) in Physics from the University of Delhi, India. Soumya came to the University of Rochester in 1997 and received his Ph.D. in Biophysics in 2004. Following that he joined the faculty at the University of Rochester as an Instructor in Radiology in 2004. He was promoted to Research Assistant Professor in 2005. Soumya's current research interests are centered on using optical imaging tools such as confocal and stereofluorescence microscopy to study PDT and ionizing radiation therapy induced molecular and host responses. These imaging studies are being performed in model systems in vitro and in vivo to examine phenomena on microscopic and macroscopic scales. | |
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Tim Baran - tibaran@optics.rochester.edu Institute of Optics Ph.D. Candidate |
| Tim Baran received his B.S. (2007) in Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. His research interests include spectroscopic monitoring of PDT, interstitial PDT for treatment of deep tissues, and digital image processing. Tim is currently working on instrumentation to deliver and monitor PDT using interstitial probes. | |
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Cristina Canavesi - canavesi@optics.rochester.edu Institute of Optics Ph.D. Candidate |
| Cristina received her B.Sc. (2003) and M.S. (2005) in Telecommunications Engineering from the Politecnico di Milano, Italy. She came to the University of Rochester in 2007 and joined the Foster group in 2008. Her current research interests include using scattering analysis and spectroscopic techniques for cancer research and PDT treatment optimization. She is presently working with a scattering and fluorescence microscope to study subcellular morphology. | |
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Tammy Lee - talee@optics.rochester.edu Institute of Optics Ph.D. Candidate |
| Tammy received her B.A.Sc. (2002) in Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo, Canada, and M.S. (2006) in Optics from the University of Rochester. Her current research interests include the utilization of spectroscopic measurement techniques for determining PDT dosimetry. Presently, she is working on portable spectroscopic instrumentation for PDT clinical trial integration. | |
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Ben Giesselman - Benjamin_Giesselman@urmc.rochester.edu Laboratory Technician |
| Ben received his B.Sc. in molecular biology from the University of Pittsburgh in 2002. After four years in a pharmacology group at Pittsburgh, he joined the Foster group in 2006. Ben's research focuses on cell biology and changes in gene expression in response to photodynamic therapy. | |
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David Conover - David_Conover@URMC.Rochester.edu Imaging Sciences Associate in Imaging Sciences |
| David Conover received his B.A. in Physics in 1977 and his M.S. in Physics in 1979. In addition to teaching Electronic Service and Repair in a Monroe County Job Training program for 9 years, he has worked in radiographic imaging research and radiology engineering at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) for a total of 15 years. He was given a faculty position at the URMC Radiology Department in 1997 in which he currently contributes electromechanical and machine control support work to Dr. Foster's photodynamic therapy (PDT) lab. Areas of his applications include confocal fluorescence imaging and fluorescence spectroscopy. He also works in computed tomography (CT) research. | |
Former Ph.D. Students |
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| Michael Nichols, Ph.D. 1996 | Thesis title, "Transport of Oxygen and Light in Model Tumor Systems" (PDF format) Current position: Associate Professor of Physics Creighton University 2500 California Plaza Omaha, NE 68178 mnichols@creighton.edu [Creighton][Mike's Page] |
| Irene Georgakoudi, Ph.D. 1998 | Thesis title, "Effects of Photosensitizer Bleaching and Localization on Photodynamic Oxygen Consumption and Dosimetry" (PDF format) Current position: Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering Tufts University 4 Colby Street, Rm. 153 Medford, MA 02155 Irene.Georgakoudi@tufts.edu [Irene's Page] |
| Edward Hull, Ph.D. 1999 | Thesis title, "Spectroscopy and Characterization of Turbid Media within the Diffusion and P3 Approximations" (PDF format) Current position: Principal Scientist VeraLight, Inc. 800 Bradbury SE, Suite 217 Albuquerque, NM 87106 Ed.Hull@veralight.com [VeraLight] |
| John Larkin, Ph.D. 2000 | Thesis title, "Optical and Photodynamic Properties of the Upper-Lying States of Rose Bengal" (PDF format) Current position: Assistant Professor of Physics Whitworth College 300 W Hawthorne Road MS 3901 Spokane, WA 99251 jlarkin@whitworth.edu [John's Page] |
| Jarod C. Finlay, Ph.D. 2003 | Thesis title, "Reflectance and Fluorescence Spectroscopies in Photodynamic Therapy" (PDF format) Current position: Assistant Professor Department of Radiation Oncology University of Pennsylvania 3400 Spruce Street / 2 Donner Philadelphia, PA 19104 finlay@xrt.upenn.edu |
| Soumya Mitra, Ph.D. 2004 | Thesis title, "Photodynamic Therapy: Biophysical Mechanisms and Molecular Responses" (PDF format) Current position: Research Assistant Professor Department of Imaging Sciences University of Rochester 601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 648 Rochester, NY 14642 soumya_mitra@urmc.rochester.edu |
| Chad E. Bigelow, Ph.D. 2005 | Thesis title, "Biological Applications of Confocal Fluorescence Polarization Microscopy" (PDF format) Current position: Investigator Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research 500 Technology Square Cambridge, MA 02139 chad.bigelow@novartis.com [Novartis] |
| Jeremy D. Wilson, Ph.D. 2007 | Thesis title, "Measurements and Interpretations of Light Scattering from Intact Biological Cells" (PDF format) Current position: Law Student Columbia Law School New York, NY wilson.jeremy.d@gmail.com |
| Ken Kang-Hsin Wang, PhD, 2008 | Thesis title,"Photodynamic Therapy: Theoretical and Experimental Approaches to Dosimetry" (PDF format) Current position: Biomedical postdoctoral researcher Department of Radiation Oncology Radiation Physics Division University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA wangken@xrt.upenn.edu |
| William J. Cottrell, PhD, 2008 | Thesis title,"Imaging, Scattering, and Spectroscopic Systems for Biomedical Optics: Tools for Bench Top and Clinical Applications" (PDF format) Current position: Senior Physics Engineer Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems Tewksbury, MA William_Cottrell@raytheon.com |