I am an optical physicist with over 40 years of experience in both academia and industry, specializing in optics and photonics. My career has encompassed fundamental research, advanced technology development, and product commercialization. I have made significant contributions to integrated optics, nanophotonics, optical fiber amplifiers, and optical sensing. Over the years, I have authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, contributed to 4 book chapters, and hold 5 issued U.S. patents. My work has been widely recognized internationally, and I have collaborated with colleagues and presented my research across the U.S., Europe, Asia, and South America.

At the University of Louisville, I lead a multidisciplinary research group focused on developing innovative photonic technologies for chemical and biological sensing. We have introduced a diagnostic platform based on spectroelectrochemical modulation of redox-active biomolecular processes, interrogated by surface-propagating optical waves. This approach enables highly sensitive, label-free detection and quantification of viral antigens and biomarkers in complex biological fluids such as blood and ocular samples. Initially demonstrated for avian influenza detection, the platform was later validated in clinical settings and recognized in Optics in 2017, the annual global breakthrough issue of Optics & Photonics News by Optica (formerly OSA).

In recent years, my research has focused on integrated optics and plasmonic nanostructures for the spectroscopic study of biomolecular films and interfacial phenomena. I have developed single-mode electro-active integrated optical waveguides as tools for interrogating ultrathin films and biomolecular interfaces—an effort that began during my collaborative work at the University of Arizona and continues at the University of Louisville. These systems are chemically and biologically functionalizable and offer powerful capabilities for real-time, selective, and highly sensitive biosensing applications, including early pathogen detection during the seronegative window period.

In addition to my academic career, I served as Director of NP Photonics, a startup company developing advanced optical fiber devices, and I have held Visiting Professor positions in Japan and Brazil. I have also contributed to the scientific community as an Associate Editor for the Optical Society of America (now Optica) and by organizing international symposia, including the Pacifichem Congress in 2015 and 2020. I have mentored 6 postdoctoral researchers, 8 Ph.D. students, and numerous M.S. and undergraduate students. In 2011, I received the Award for Outstanding Scholarship, Research, and Creative Activity from the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Louisville.