Imaging on the cellular level: A video interview with Tuan Vo-Dinh

Tuan Vo-Dinh became Director of the Fitzpatrick Institute for Photonics, Duke University (Durham, North Carolina) in 2006 after nearly 30 years at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. From 2003 to 2006 he was the Director of the Center for Advanced Biomedical Photonics at Oak Ridge. In coordination with the laboratory's Associate Director, he was responsible for development and implementation of programs and strategic plans on bioengineering research initiatives.

His research activities and interests involve biophotonics, laser-excited luminescence spectroscopy, room temperature phosphorimetry, synchronous luminescence spectroscopy, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, field environmental instrumentation, fiberoptics sensors, nanosensors, biosensors and biochips for the protection of the environment and the improvement of human health.

He received the Ph.D. in Biophysical Chemistry (1975) from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology- ETH (Eidgenosische Technische Hochschule; Zurich, Switzerland).

At SPIE Optics East 2006, where this interview took place, he chaired the symposium on Sensors and Industry Applications, as well as the conference "Advanced Environmental, Chemical, and Biological Sensing Technologies IV." He is a Fellow of SPIE. In 2003 he was named Distinguished Scientist of the Year at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.