Awarded in 2025
Home Department: Mechanical Engineering
Faculty Advisors: Guosong Hong (Materials Science & Engineering) and Xiaoke Chen (Biology)

Research Title: Achieving Optical Transparency in the Brain Using Photonic Metamaterial Strategies

Optical imaging is crucial to biology and neuroscience, yet light scattering restricts penetration in deep tissues. While in vivo tissue transparency has been achieved, the high concentrations of solute required hinder its neuroscientific applications. Here, Lauren proposes to use resonant molecular metamaterials to reduce concentrations for index matching in neural tissues. She aims to optimize refractive index modulation through theoretical and experimental approaches, then validate optical transparency and cell viability in neuronal cultures. She will then demonstrate transparency and brain imaging in a live mouse. Success of this work would enable diffraction-limited resolution at >2 mm depth, revolutionizing neural circuit interrogation.