Quantum Wavefront Biophotonics: Turning Scattering Tissue from an Obstacle into a Controllable Optical Element - Moussa N'Gom, Ph.D.

Join us on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at 10:00 am for an in-person BMEII Seminar: "Quantum Wavefront Biophotonics: Turning Scattering Tissue from an Obstacle into a Controllable Optical Element" by Moussa N'Gom, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Abstract Imagine trying to shine a flashlight through a thick fog, a frosted glass window, or even a slice of chicken breast. Instead of staying as a neat, bright beam, the light scatters in every direction. You end up with a dull, diffuse flow that can't illuminate anything clearly. This is a major problem for doctors and biologists who want to see deep inside living tissue: our skin, fat, and muscles are all "foggy" to light, and standard microscopes see only a short distance below the surface before the image becomes hopelessly blurry. Scattering, however, is complicated rather than truly random - and therefore reversible. I will show how adaptive wavefront shaping, using a programmable "magic mirror" and feedback from the tissue itself, creates self-healing "light pencils" that stay thin and bright millimeters deep, enabling single-shot volumetric imaging with markedly improved depth uniformity. I will then describe how entangled and heralded single photons can push image quality past the classical noise limit at doses safe for living tissue and outline the ex vivo human-tissue studies needed to bring this to the clinic. Bio Dr. Moussa N'Gom is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he also holds an affiliate appointment in biophysics through the Shirley Ann Jackson, Ph.D. Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies. His laboratory develops computational wavefront shaping, structured light, and quantum light techniques to control how photons propagate through complex and highly scattering media— including biological tissue. This work underpins new approaches to non-invasive optical diagnostics, such as recovering hidden fluorescent signals through scattering tissue and, with support from the Moore Foundation, interrogating diabetic wound healing using quantum light and wavefront shaping. His research program is also supported by the NGA, AFRL, DOE, and NNSA. Dr. N'Gom earned his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Michigan. Before returning to academia, he was a Senior Research Scientist at Corning Incorporated, where his laser-processing innovations yielded six granted patents. He is a recipient of Rensselaer's Board of Trustees Faculty Achievement Award and the School of Science Outstanding Faculty Research and Teaching Awards.