Optical Imaging Research Lab0ratory
About us
Mission
The mission of OIRL is the integration of research and education to stimulate interest in Optical Engineering, providing students and Optics community with a unique set of skills for designing and building the future technologies in Optics and Photonics.
Goals
To advance the fundamental science and engineering in imaging and photonics instrumentation for biological and biomedical applications
To transition research outcomes and outputs to commercial products and systems
To sustain robust collaborations with leading academic institutions, government agencies, and companies to achieve the OIRL’s scientific and technological goals
To increase knowledge in Optical Engineering, enhancing career opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, including underrepresented students
To improved public STEM outreach.
Principal research areas
Multimodal imaging platforms
Low-cost imaging systems
Automatic reconstruction algorithms
Healthcare applications of optical imaging
What's new?
Brian Bogue-Jimenez and Dr. Doblas will attend 2023 Optica Imaging Congress in Boston to present our work. - Aug. 14 -17, 2023.
The OIRL lab has been moved to the ECE department at UMass Dartmouth!
Brian Bogue-Jimenez and Dr. Trujillo will attend 2023 SPIE Photonics West to present our collaborative work. - Jan. 29 - Feb. 2, 2023.
Shashwat Patra defended his Master Dissertation - Jan. 12, 2023.
Raul Castaneda defended his PhD Dissertation - Nov. 3, 2022.
Jointly with Drs. Ivey, Farmer, Elswick, Casey and Stewart, Dr. Doblas has received the 2022-2023 Communities of Research Scholars (CoRS) program for their collaborative project "Investigation of a multiplexed wearable sensor to identify Engineering undergraduate students at risk in their major by means of artificial intelligence".
Kamesh and Allan presented several optical experiments in the 2022 STEAM Fest at the Museum of Science and History (Memphis/TN). - Oct. 15, 2022.
For two consecutive years, Dr. Doblas has received the R. Eugen Smith Professorship for outstanding research accomplishments (2021-22 and 2022-23).
Dr. Doblas has been awarded by the US Department of State for her project "Enhancing career opportunities in STEM for Spanish/Andorran undergraduate students in the United States".
About Optical Engineering
Optical Engineering is the field of study that focuses on the development and applications of optics and photonics. Optical Engineering includes:
Imaging components, systems, and processing.
Optical instrumentation, techniques, and measurement.
Optical design and engineering.
Lasers, fiber optics, and communications.
Optical materials, photonic devices, and sensors.
Optical Engineers may be involved in anything from advanced research on optical properties to the development and commercialization of the optical product. Job opportunities in the industry include defense, medical technology, clean energy, nanotechnology, automotive manufacturing, electronics, communications, entertainment, computers, and other consumer products.
According to research by Economic Modeling Specialists Intl., there were 147,913 annual job openings in 2019 with 7.9% projected growth over the next 10 years. Optical engineer's median salary is $96,000, reaching $155k for experienced senior workers. More interestingly, as the COV-19 pandemic spreads across the world, optics and photonics technologies have provided rapid preliminary screening of potentially infected individuals, more accurate molecular diagnosis, and reliable monitoring of disease progression*.
Now more than ever, the need for optics and photonics technologies to make significant contributions to global health is clear. The long-term OIRL goal is the contribution to the creation of a climate that attracts talented people of all races, genders, and nationalities to advance knowledge in imaging instrumentation.
*T. M. Baer and C. E. Baer, "Optics and the COVID-19 Pandemic," Optics & Photonics News May (2020).
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