Daniel A. Gil

I am a graduate student in Melissa Skala’s lab at the Morgridge Institute for Research and University of Wisconsin–Madison, where my research focuses on label-free optical imaging, optical instrumentation, and quantitative image analysis methods. I received my B.S. from George Washington University in 2014 and M.S. from Vanderbilt University in 2016, both in biomedical engineering. As an undergraduate, I worked with Narine Sarvazyan on a new label-free technique for guiding cardiac ablation procedures. In my current work, I am developing instrumentation and image analysis methods for two label-free optical imaging technologies, optical coherence tomography and autofluorescence microscopy. I hope to enable new applications of these label-free technologies in tissue engineering, neurosurgery, respiratory medicine, and precision oncology. I also believe that broadening participation of underrepresented groups is vital to the continued success of STEM worldwide, and I have been active in outreach and mentoring both at the K-12 and undergraduate levels. As a student member of SPIE and the Optical Society of America, I helped plan community events in Nashville, TN, for the Day of Light in 2015 and 2016 to improve awareness of the role of photonics-based technologies in our daily lives