Meet the People

We are constantly growing and evolving, which results in new opportunities for ambitious people to work in a positive work environment. Whether you are just starting out or an experienced professional, a great future starts here.

Principal Investigator

Ishan Barman

Professor,

Department of Mechanical Engineering
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center
Russell Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science

Email: ibarman [at] jhu.edu

Ishan Barman is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University with joint appointments in the Departments of Oncology and Radiology and Radiological Science. He graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, before moving to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for his M.S. and Ph.D. During his doctoral research, he investigated non-invasive blood glucose sensing using vibrational spectroscopy under Professor Michael Feld. He leads an interdisciplinary research group that is focused on the development of cutting-edge biophotonics technologies with the goal of disease detection at early, manageable stages, monitoring therapeutic effects and treatment outcomes, and guiding interventions. The optical tools generated from these investigations have been leveraged in diverse biomedical environments including in automated recognition of biopsy specimen, real-time diagnosis of middle ear pathology, and as a customized monoclonal antibody identification platform.

Post Doctoral Researchers

Dr. Peng Zheng

I am interested in studying how light interacts with matter on solid-state systems and harnessing it for developing advanced optical tools, such as nanoscale probes, super-resolution techniques, and optical sensing platforms, to tackle difficult questions in physical and biomedical sciences. In my spare time, I enjoy playing soccer, running, swimming, hiking, and canoeing. pzheng7 [at] jhu.edu

Dr. Swati Tanwar

Molecular self-assembly is a promising route to build complex systems with unique biological functions. My current research interest focuses on engineering smart nanodevices using nature’s toolkit, particularly DNA and peptides for photonic and biological applications. stanwar1 [at] jhu.edu

Dr. Gagandeep Kaur

My research focus lies in the fabrication of noble metal nanostructures, aimed at propelling the frontiers of catalysis, sensing, and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. Additionally, my pursuits extend into the realm of DNA nanotechnology, where I utilize the innovative DNA origami technique to engineer cutting-edge plasmonic nanodevices for biomedical applications.

kgagand1 [at] jh.edu

Graduate Students

Piyush Raj

I am a 3rd year Ph.D. student in the Barman Lab. I completed my undergraduate in mechanical engineering from IIT Guwahati and after a short stint as a mechanical workshop supervisor at L&T Heavy Engineering, joined IISc Bangalore in their Nanoscience master’s program. After finishing my masters, I joined JHU where I am currently working on non-invasive glucose sensing, SORS, Raman cell and tumor imaging, quantitative phase imaging, and plasmonics. praj4 [at] jhu.edu

Pooja Anantha

Employing quantitative phase imaging and Raman spectroscopy, I delve into the morphological and molecular intricacies of cellular processes. Specifically, my focus is on studying the effects of various conditions on rat cortical astrocyte morphology. Additionally, I explore human adipocyte morphology, lipid formation, and composition during the differentiation process.

pananth1 [at] jhu.edu

Lintong Wu

My research interests center on developing nanodevices based on self-assembled DNA nanostructures and DNA nanostructure-directed self-assembly of metal nanoparticles, for the understanding of plasmonic properties in metallic nanostructures and application in nanophotonics, bioimaging, and drug delivery. My hobbies are doing experiments, reading, sports, and cooking. lintongwu [at] jhu.edu

Saransh Arora

Microscopy, Microfabrication, Microfluidics, Microaggressions. What sound does a micro cow make? Mu. Secretly uses lab 3-D printer at night to make toys. Afraid of dogs.saransharora [at] jhu.edu

Arnab Chatterjee

Robotics, Design and Art. Jack of all cards, master of quite a few. Won several design awards. Designer of Hybrid Adaptive transport for United States Marine Corps, winner of 2019 US Navy design hackathon. Research interest: Combining robotics with optics across various disciplines. Hobbies: Hiking, Marksmanship, Racing, concept art. achatt13 [at] jh.edu

Anoushka Gupta

Currently, my research aims towards understanding cartilage degradation and morphomolecular changes in cancer cells with help of optical techniques. In my free time, I like to play table tennis and read books.

agupt130 [at] jh.edu

Undergraduate Students

Felicity Li

I am a sophomore majoring in ChemBE, minoring in music and AMS. I am interested in working with tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. In my free time, I enjoy music composition, reading novels, and taking long walks.sli197 [at] jh.edu

Raj Bhatt

I am interested in using photonics and other spectroscopic methods to non-invasively measure glucose concentrations in patients. In my free time, I like to work out and watch movies with my friends. rbhatt9 [at] jh.edu

Evan Edelman

Hi, my name is Evan and I’m a sophomore ChemBE major. I’m really interested in 3d modeling and using spectroscopy to analyze samples of COVID. In my free time I like listening to music, writing lyrics, and playing soccer with my friends. eedelma4 [at] jhu.edu

Linika Goel

Hi, I am Linika Goel and I am majoring in BME. I’m interested in Raman spectroscopy and its ability to develop prostate cancer imaging. My hobbies include dancing and watching movies with friends. lgoel1 [at] jhu.edu

Siddhi Date

I am a rising sophomore majoring in Biomedical Engineering. My research interests lie in the field of DNA Origami to aid in biosensor development, drug delivery, and imaging applications. In my free time I enjoy playing guitar, traveling, and spending time with my dog.sdate1 [at] jhu.edu

Vighnesh Ginde

I am interested in the use of Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy for use in quick and accurate diagnostic tests. In my free time, I like to watch movies and tinker with my car.vginde1 [at] jhu.edu

Lauren Conway

I'm a senior majoring in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. I am interested in Raman cell imaging, quantitative phase imaging, and non-invasive glucose sensing. In my free time I like to run, play volleyball, and listen to music. lconway4 [at] jhu.edu

Zuriel Erikson Joven

My research interests include low-cost and non-invasive diagnostics, intersections of optics and medical robotics, quantitative and statistical methods for biological modeling and spectroscopy, and applications of architected materials in biomechanics. In my free time I enjoy firespinning, tennis, game development, and playing Minecraft.

zjoven1 [at] jhu.edu

Alumni

Postdoctoral Fellows

Santosh Paidi (May 2020 – May 2021)
Current Position: Technical Development Principal Scientist , Genentech
Debadrita Paria (Mar 2018 – January 2022)
Current Position: LTD FE Process Integration Engineer, Intel Corporation, Hillsboro, Oregon
Le Liang (Oct 2017 – Sep 2021)
Current Position: Professor, The Institute for Advanced Studies, Wuhan University, China
Zufang Huang (Dec 2015 – Dec 2017)
Current Position: Associate Professor, College of Photonic and Electronic Engineering, Fujian Normal University, Fujian, China
Soumik Siddhanta (Mar 2015 – Nov 2019)
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, India
Ming Li (Jan 2014 - Feb 2017)
Current Position: Professor, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Central South University, China

Doctoral Students

Jeong Hee (Jenn) Kim (Aug 2018 – August 2023)
Thesis title: Label-free morpho-molecular cellular analysis with Raman and quantitative phase imaging
Current Position: Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
Zhenhui Liu (Aug 2017 – March 2023)
Thesis title: Cellular Biophysics in Cancer and Malaria Progression
Chi Zhang (Sept 2015 – Sep 2019)
Thesis Title: Harnessing label-free Raman spectroscopy for metastatic cancer diagnosis and biologic development
Current Position: Bioanalytical Process Analytical Method Development Scientist, GSK, Philadelphia, PA
Santosh Paidi (Sept 2014 – April 2020)
Thesis Title: Molecular analysis of cancer progression with label-free Raman spectroscopy

MSE Students

Abhinaya Shankar (Aug 2017 – Jan 2019)
Current Position: Scientist, Varex Imaging Corporation, Salt Lake City, UT
Yujia He (Jan 2016 – May 2016)
Yaozheng Li (Sept 2015 – May 2017)
Current Position: Software Development Engineer II, Amazon, Seattle, WA
Chi Zhang (Jan 2014 – Aug 2015)

Visiting Scientists

Annalisa Convertino, Ph.D. (Feb 2019) (National Research Council (CNR), Italy)
Maciej Roman, Ph.D. (Sept 2017 – Dec 2017) (Institute of Nuclear Physics, Krakow, Poland)
Ram Prasad, Ph.D. (Sept 2014 – Aug 2015) (Amity University, India)
Current Position: Associate Professor, Department of Botany, Mahatma Gandhi Central University, Motihari, Bihar
Chao Zheng, M.D. (Sept 2014 – Aug 2015) (First Hospital of Jilin University, China)
Current Position: Breast Cancer Surgeon, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China

Visiting Graduate and Undergraduate Students

Bhaskar Jha (May 2023 – July 2023) (Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India)
Vardhan Basnet (May 2023 – August 2023) (City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China)
Marcin Marzejon (October 2019 – March 2020) (Gdansk University of Technology, Poland)
Irfan Ahmed (February 2019 – July 2019) (City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China)
Vaani Shah (May 2018 – Aug 2018) (University of Maryland, College Park)
Arun Nagpal (May 2017 – Dec 2017) (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor)
Current position: PhD student, California Institute of Technology
Akilan Meiyappan (May 2017 – Aug 2017; June 2018 – Aug 2018) (University of Maryland Baltimore County)
Current position: MS student, Johns Hopkins University
Maciej Wrobel (March 2015 – June 2015; Jan 2017 – July 2017) (Gdańsk University of Technology, Poland)
Current position: Assistant Professor, Department of Metrology and Optoelectronics, Gdańsk University of Technology, Gdańsk, Poland
Nicolas Mesyngier (June – Aug 2016) (INBT REU Intern) (Pennsylvania State University)
Current position: PhD student, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Weihao Li (March – June 2016) (South University of Science and Technology, China)
Current position: PhD student, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Sidarth Dasari (May - August 2014) (Indiana University)
Current position: Resident physician, The University of Vermont Medical Center

Undergraduate Research Advisees

Esther Wu
Noah Zahn
Vinay Ayyappan (Jan 2019 – May 2020)
Current position: MD/PhD student, University of Pennsylvania
Rachel Rex (February 2018 – June 2019)
Current position: PhD student, University of California, Berkeley
Emily Headley (September 2016 – December 2016)
Jonathan Yi (September 2014 – May 2016)
Michael Lysak (June – August 2014)