Ashok Samuel is a research associate professor in the Department of Bioengineering. He joined the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2023.

Education

• Ph.D., spectroscopy, physical chemistry, and polymer chemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore

2013: Dr. J. C. Ghosh medal, Indian Institute of Science, India

2013: Early Career Researcher Award, Society for Applied Spectroscopy, USA

Research areas:

• high-resolution imaging of cells, organoids, and tissues

• subcellular biochemical information

• molecular details of tumor microenvironment interactions and cell differentiation

Research interests:

• integration of chemistry, physics, biology, and engineering

• advanced bioimaging techniques, particularly Raman spectral imaging

• medical diagnostics and health monitoring

Professor Ashok’s research integrates chemistry, physics, biology, and engineering, with a focus on advanced bioimaging techniques, particularly Raman spectral imaging, to study cellular biochemical processes. His work aims to connect fundamental research with applications in tissue engineering, cancer biology, and regenerative medicine, with the goal of contributing to advancements in medical technology and healthcare.

At Beckman Institute, He looks forward to utilizing the bioimaging facilities and collaborating within a multidisciplinary research environment. His research focuses on high-resolution imaging of cells, organoids, and tissues, and understanding subcellular biochemical information, molecular details of tumor microenvironment interactions and cell differentiation. An opportunity to work closely with the members of the Computational Imaging Group will be very beneficial for advancing his research.

Currently, his research includes label-free intracellular imaging of biomolecules using Raman spectroscopy, with the aim of developing it into a quantitative molecular profiling tool for medical diagnostics and health monitoring. At UIUC, Professor Samuel Ashok works closely with faculty members including Professor Rohit Bhargava, Director of the Cancer Center at Illinois (CCIL); Professor Jonathan V. Sweedler, the James R. Eiszner Family Endowed Chair in Chemistry; and Professor Mark Anastasio, Donald Biggar Willett Professor in Engineering and Head of the Department of Bioengineering; and others.