Valentin Demidov, PhD

Research Scientist

Valentin is a Research Scientist with a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Saratov State University (Russia), Masters of Science in Biomedical Physics from Ryerson University (Canada) and PhD in Medical Biophysics from the University of Toronto (Canada) on "Shedding light on radiotherapy: quantifying early tumor response with optical coherence tomography". He completed his postdoctoral fellowship at Dartmouth-Hitchcock and joined the faculty in 2022. He is working on optical coherence tomography of biofilms and radiation therapy to improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

Chris Rivet, PhD

Research Scientist

Chris Rivet is a biomedical engineer currently who joined the lab as a Research Scientist 2023. With a PhD from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, he has extensive experience in tissue engineering and drug delivery, having previously worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Universidad de los Andes and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, focusing on microfluidic devices and 3D cell culture technologies. Before his research career, Chris spent over eight years as an educator with Windsor Southeast Supervisory Union, showcasing his diverse background in both science and education.

Samuel S. Streeter, PhD

Research Scientist

Samuel Streeter a Research Scientist and he received his B.A. and B.E. in Engineering Sciences from Dartmouth College and his Ph.D. in Biomedical/Medical Engineering from Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth. His research interests include optical structured light imaging and X-ray micro-computed tomography. He has published several papers on these topics and has received awards such as the John W. Strohbehn, PhD, Memorial Prize, the SPIE Translational Research Award, and the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award. He is also a mentor for the Dartmouth Rural STEM Educator Partnership, where he shares his passion for science with students from rural communities. In his spare time, he enjoys running, whitewater paddling, and exploring the outdoors.

Nathaniel Chen, BA

Preclinical Lab Manager

Nathaniel recently graduated from Dartmouth College with a B.A. in Anthropology and minors in Biology and Music. He previously worked as an orthopedic research assistant at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, where he contributed to projects focused on surgical outcomes. At OTEL, he is excited to deepen his research experience in preparation for medical school. In his free time, Nathaniel enjoys figure skating, long-distance running, cycling, and playing the oboe.

Karley White, BE

PhD Student

Karley earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Oklahoma State University in 2023. For the duration of her studies, Karley performed research involving the computational modeling of cancer immunotherapies and the development and characterization of three-dimensional human tissue lung models. After receiving her undergraduate degree, Karley completed a two-year postbaccalaureate fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. As part of the Women’s Malignancies Branch of the National Cancer Institute, she investigated the cytotoxic effects of breast cancer therapeutics. Karley joined the OTEL as a PhD student in 2025 and is investigating surgical applications for the detection of biofilms in orthopedic trauma.

Natalia Demidova, BSc

Research Analyst

Natalia is a research analyst with a BS in physics and statistics from University of Toronto, Canada. She is developing analytical methods for optical coherance tomography, in particular to segment biofilm, cells, and pores to longitudinally track the growth and development of mono- and polyspecies.

Sophia Rodzianko

Research Intern

Sophia Rodzianko is in her first year at Durham University (UK). She is pursuing an undergraduate degree in Natural Sciences with a focus on Biology and Chemistry. She has a strong academic foundation with a keen interest in research. Sophia will be joining the lab as a research intern over the summer. During her internship, she will be contributing to ongoing projects, gaining hands-on experience with experimental techniques, and deepening her understanding of biological and chemical research in a practical setting.

Leah Gitajn, MD

Associate Professor and Section Chief, Orthopaedic Trauma, Dartmouth Health

Dr. Gitajn is an orthopaedic trauma surgeon who focuses on complex fractures and dislocations of the upper and lower limbs, fracture complications, malunions and nonunions, and care of the polytraumatized patient. She has extensive experience in conducting clinical and translational trials on orthopaedic infections and wound healing. In the past five years, she has received approximately 11 million in federal funding. She is an Assistant Professor of Geisel, graduate of Harvard Medical School. Dr. Gitajn and Dr. Elliott are co-PIs on grants funding fluorescence guided debridement and photodynamic therapy.

Eric Henderson, MD

Associate Professor, Director of Precision Medicine, Dartmouth Cancer Center

Dr. Henderson is an orthopaedic surgeon at DHMC who specializes in pediatric and adult bone and soft-tissue sarcomas, connective tissue tumors, and metastatic disease of the bones. He completed his orthopaedic oncology fellowship at Harvard Combined Orthopaedics Residency Prograph (HCORP) in Boston, MA. He is an Associate Professor of Orthopaedics and an MD graduate of University of South Florida College of Medicine. Dr. Henderson and Dr. Elliott are co-PIs on an R01-funded clinical trial to apply fluorescence imaging to diagnose necrotizing soft-tissue infection.

Shudong Jiang, PhD

Professor, Thayer School of Engineering

Shudong Jiang is a researcher specializing in optical spectroscopy and imaging systems for biomedical applications, with a focus on near-infrared imaging, optical molecular imaging, and Cerenkov imaging in radiation therapy. She earned her BS in Automatic Control Systems from the University of Xian Institute of Technology (China), her MS in Optoelectronics from Fukui University (Japan), and her PhD in Optoelectronics from the Tokyo Institute of Technology (Japan) in 1992, and has been recognized as a Senior Member of the Optical Society of America (OSA) and received NIH/NCI research awards for her work on breast cancer imaging.

Keith D. Paulsen, PhD

Professor, Thayer School of Engineering

Keith D. Paulsen is the MacLean Professor of Engineering at Dartmouth, with additional roles as Professor of Radiology and Surgery at Geisel School of Medicine, Scientific Director of the Center for Surgical Innovation at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, and Co-Director of the Translational Engineering in Cancer Research Program at Dartmouth Cancer Center. He holds a BSc in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University (1981), and an MS (1984) and PhD (1986) in Engineering Sciences from Dartmouth College, and his research focuses on biomedical engineering, medical imaging methodologies, and cancer therapeutics, including image-guided neurosurgery and microwave imaging spectroscopy. A highly recognized innovator, Paulsen is a Fellow of OSA, SPIE, AIMBE, IEEE, and NAI, has co-founded startups like InSight Surgical Technologies and CairnSurgical, and holds numerous patents for advanced surgical imaging and guidance technologies.

Kimberly Samkoe, PhD

Associate Professor, Thayer School of Engineering

Kimberley S. Samkoe is an Associate Professor of Engineering at Dartmouth, with a focus on quantitative fluorescence molecular imaging for cancer diagnosis, therapeutic monitoring, and fluorescence-guided surgery. She earned her BSc in Biochemistry from the University of Regina in 2001 and her PhD in Biophysical Chemistry from the University of Calgary in 2007, and has since received prestigious awards including the National Cancer Institute’s R37 MERIT Award (2018–present) and the Faculty Research Award from Dartmouth-Hitchcock (2019–2020). Her research, spanning photodynamic therapy and optical molecular imaging, has been widely published in high-impact journals such as Nature Medicine and Cancer Research, reflecting her expertise in biomedical systems engineering and cancer biology.

Petr Brůža, PhD

Assistant Professor, Thayer School of Engineering

Petr Bruža is a biomedical physicist specializing in optics in medicine and imaging techniques to enhance cancer therapy, with a focus on Cherenkov light imaging and dose imaging in radiation therapy. He earned his PhD in Biomedical Physics from Czech Technical University in 2014, following a Bc in 2008 and an MSc in 2010 from the same institution, and has since contributed to numerous high-impact publications in journals like Nature Biomedical Engineering and IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging. Recognized for his innovative work, he received the "Best in Physics" Imaging Award from the American Association of Physicists in Medicine in 2017 and holds a patent for dosimetry systems utilizing Cherenkov emissions.

Brian Pogue, PhD

Professor, Thayer School of Engineering

Brian W. Pogue is a distinguished researcher and educator, currently finishing his term as Professor and Chair of the Department of Medical Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with a confirmed return to Dartmouth’s Thayer School of Engineering as a Full Professor starting May 1, 2025. He earned his BSc (1989) and MSc (1991) in Physics from York University (Canada), followed by a PhD in Medical Physics from McMaster University (Canada) in 1996, and completed a Research Fellowship at Harvard Medical School in 1996; his research encompasses optics in medicine, biomedical imaging for cancer therapy, molecular-guided surgery, and Cherenkov light imaging. A highly acclaimed leader, Pogue is a Fellow of SPIE, OSA, and AIMBE, has served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Biomedical Optics, co-founded QUEL Imaging, and has shaped the field through roles like Dean of Graduate Studies at Dartmouth (2008-2012) and conference chair positions, while advancing projects such as scintillation dosimetry and photodynamic therapy.

Dennis Wirth, PhD

Postdoctoral Scholar (2021)

After OTEL: Senior Engineer, KMC Systems Inc.

Yue Tang, PhD

PhD Student (2025)

After OTEL: Medical Physics Residency, Yale University

Logan Bateman, MSc

Masters Student (2023)

After OTEL: Medical School (Dartmouth)

Xinyue Han, PhD

PhD Student (2023)

After OTEL: Postdoctoral Fellowship, Indiana University

Megan Clark

Graduate Student (2021)

After OTEL: Graduate Student, Thayer

Thomas Usherwood

Graduate Student (2021)

After OTEL: PhD Student, Harvard-MIT (Manalis Lab)

Jason Gunn

Lab Manager (2023-2025)

After OTEL: Thayer School of Engineering

Scott Sottosanti

Research Engineer (2018-2023)

After OTEL: Creare LLC, Lebanon, NH