Bain develops advanced laser spectroscopy and super-resolution microscopy techniques for biological applications. Research directions: (1) Femtosecond time-resolved STED (stimulated emission depletion) — combining sub-diffraction spatial resolution with picosecond time resolution to study FRET dynamics in live cells with both spatial and lifetime precision; (2) Time-resolved polarized fluorescence — probing orientation distributions and rotational dynamics of fluorophores; (3) CW STED fluorescence lifetime reconstruction — lower-photodose STED for longer live-cell imaging; (4) Single-molecule FRET to study protein-protein interactions; (5) Single-particle tracking of membrane receptors relevant to viral entry and cancer signaling. Former PhD students include Siân Culley (now King's College, SMLM).
Degen leads the Spin Physics and Imaging group, one of the world's leading NV-center magnetometry labs. Research directions (as of 2025): (1) Scanning NV magnetometry of quantum materials — NV-tipped cantilevers image current flow (≲50 nm resolution) in graphene heterostructures and resolve domain walls in antiferromagnets/ferroelectrics; cryogenic scanning down to 350 mK in dilution refrigerator (published Appl. Phys. Lett. 2022). (2) Single-molecule NMR — shallow NV centers detect nuclear spins from surface-adsorbed molecules with sub-nanometer 3D resolution; 2022 Nano Lett. on amine-functionalized diamond surfaces; exploring chirality-induced spin selectivity at few-molecule level. (3) NV magnetometry protocols — reconstruction-free waveform sensing (1.1 ns time resolution, Nature 2025), gradiometric detection, spectrum demodulation for rapid scanning, multi-NV addressing. (4) Diamond nanoengineering — multicone pillar waveguides, surface engineering, scanning probe fabrication. ERC Proof-of-Concept 2025 for photonic IC single-photon NV excitation/detection for commercial quantum sensing.
French is Professor and former Head of the Photonics Group (2001–2013). His group at Imperial (with Dunsby and Neil) develops multidimensional fluorescence imaging technology for life sciences and clinical applications. Research portfolio: (1) FLIM — wide-field time-gated FLIM using gated optical intensifiers and TCSPC for single-cell FRET-based biosensing of protein-protein interactions, cell signalling (kinase activity), and drug-target engagement in multi-well plates; (2) Super-resolved microscopy — STED, easySTORM (lower-cost STORM), and SIM+FLIM for mapping molecular function to biological nanostructure below the diffraction limit; (3) FLIM endoscopy — flexible wide-field FLIM endoscopes for label-free cancer diagnostics (autofluorescence lifetime) and osteoarthritis cartilage; (4) Open-source imaging — automated multiwell plate FLIM reader for high-content drug screening. Satellite lab at Francis Crick Institute.
Gruetter leads the Laboratory for Functional and Metabolic Imaging (LFMI) at EPFL and co-directs the CIBM (Centre for Biomedical Imaging). Research directions: (1) Ultra-high-field in vivo MR spectroscopy — developing 1H, 13C, 31P, 23Na MRS at 14.1T animal and 7T human systems to measure metabolite concentrations (glutamate, GABA, lactate) in brain with unprecedented sensitivity; (2) Quantum coherence effects in NMR — exploiting J-coupling evolution and JPRESS sequences for quantum-selective metabolite editing; (3) Hyperpolarization — DNP-enhanced metabolite sensing in vivo for tracking metabolic flux in real time; (4) Neuroimaging — quantitative BOLD fMRI calibration and cerebral blood flow mapping. The 14.1T magnet is among the world's most powerful for biological NMR spectroscopy.
Knowles leads the Coherent Quantum Lab at the Cavendish Laboratory. Her research focuses on using NV centers in diamond as quantum sensors to probe matter at the nanoscale in two main thrusts: (1) nanoscale NMR / spin imaging — scanning-probe NV magnetometry of topological and unconventional magnets, Hamiltonian engineering in dense spin ensembles using global dynamical decoupling, and error-correction-enhanced sensor readout; (2) quantum biosensing in living systems — employing diamond nanocrystals functionalized for intracellular delivery to perform simultaneous nanothermometry and nanorheometry in single HeLa cells and C. elegans, using the Q-BiC integrated biocompatible chip platform. She co-leads CANSIS. The lab has a second new instrument running since mid-2025 for biosensing experiments.
Eugene Polzik's QUANTOP centre uses hot and ultracold atomic spin ensembles and mechanical membranes to generate squeezed, entangled, and single-photon states for quantum sensing and communication. Key directions include: (1) atomic magnetometry and electromagnetic induction imaging for biomedical applications (MEG/MCG-quality sensors); (2) entanglement between a macroscopic mechanical oscillator and an atomic spin ensemble; (3) quantum memory for light; (4) back-action-evading measurement schemes beyond the SQL; and (5) optical preamplification for MRI. QUANTOP heads the Copenhagen Center for Biomedical Quantum Sensing (CBQS), targeting quantum-enhanced disease diagnostics.