 Andrew
J. Berger
Associate Professor of Optics
Office: Wilmot 418
Phone: (585) 273-4724
Fax: (585) 244-4936
E-mail: ajberger@optics.rochester.edu
Short Biography
Andrew Berger, Associate Professor
of Optics, arrived in Rochester in July, 2000. He holds
physics degrees from Yale (B.S., 1991) and MIT (Ph.D., 1998).
At the latter, Dr. Berger did his doctoral work in the G.R.
Harrison Spectroscopy Laboratory under Michael Feld, developing
methods of blood analysis using laser spectroscopy. Prior
to coming to the Institute of Optics, he spent two years
at the Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Center in Irvine,
CA, building handheld systems to analyze breast tissue content,
thanks to a postdoctoral fellowship from the George E. Hewitt
Foundation for Medical Research. Unlike his advisor Bruce
Tromberg, however, Andrew escaped Southern California.
Research
Professor Berger's area of interest is biomedical optics,
specifically spectroscopic diagnostic techniques. With recent
advances in optical technology, it is now possible to perform
sensitive chemical tests on samples (and live subjects)
using light rather than reagents or electrodes. The group's
present research is centered upon
- Raman spectroscopy of
oral bacteria
- single-cell Raman spectroscopy
- multimodal microscopy
(Raman plus elastic scatter)
- near-infrared spectroscopy
of hemodynamics in the human brain
More generally, Professor
Berger seeks to apply lasers and spectroscopic methods (absorption,
fluorescence, Raman, and scattering spectroscopies) to problems
of medical interest. As offshoots of this basic thrust,
other interests include: (1) exploring fundamental aspects
of light scattering and diffusion in turbid (e.g. biological)
media; and (2) developing novel spectroscopic techniques,
through both instrumentation and analytical modeling, that
extend the range of biomedical phenomena which can be studied
using light.
The proximity of the Institute
of Optics to the Medical Center offers opportunities for
close interaction with clinical collaborators and patients.
Professor Berger also holds a secondary appointment in the
department of Biomedical Engineering.
To learn more
Visit the Berger group homepage
for more information.
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