Professor Ozcan Named One of the World's "Brilliant 10" Scientists by Popular Science Magazine

Professor Aydogan Ozcan had been named one of the world's "Brilliant 10" scientists by Popular Science magazine for his innovations in microscopic imaging using smartphones.  The magazine recognized Ozcan for his groundbreaking invention, LUCAS, a pocket-sized device that can be attached to a cell phone camera to capture microscopic images. By using a light-emitting diode to illuminate cells, LUCAS captures shadows cast by said cells and reconstructs the image using an algorithm on a remote computer.  The cells cast "textured" shadows, which can reveal internal properties and features such as malaria parasites.  The low cost (as low as $10 per unit) makes LUCAS an extremely promising innovation in terms of bringing diagnostic medical services to impoverished, remote locations that do not have access to hospitals or bulky medical equipment. Ozcan has also developed a Google Maps interface to geographically plot data obtained by LUCAS, an innovation that can track the spread of various diseases around the world.

Professor Ozcan has received numerous awards including the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, MIT's TR35 Award, NIH Director's New Innovator Award, the NSF CAREER Award, Army Research Office Young Investigator Award, as well as the popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award. The Ozcan Research Group applies the study of photonics to nano- and bio-technology in order to resolve issues in global health and telemedicine.

See the UCLA Newsroom story for more.