Paul French

Professor Paul French is a leading academic in the Department of Physics at Imperial College London, affiliated with over 20 research groups including the Photonics Group and the Francis Crick Institute. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Physics (1983) and a PhD in Laser Optics (1987) from Imperial College. His research focuses on advancing biomedical optics, particularly in fluorescence imaging technologies for cell biology and clinical diagnostics. He has pioneered open-source microscopy platforms like openFrame and easySTORM to democratize access to advanced imaging tools.

• Roles: Professor of Physics, former Head of Photonics Group (2001-2013), Vice Dean (Research) for Faculty of Natural Sciences (2015-2023)
• Affiliations: Artificial Intelligence Network, CRUK Convergence Science Centre, Pancreatic Islet Biology and Diabetes Consortium

Research interests span super-resolved microscopy (SRM), fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM), and quantitative phase imaging (QPI). His work emphasizes translational applications in cancer, infectious diseases, and drug discovery. Recent innovations include PolSpec hyperspectral imaging and VP-CLEM-Kit for correlative microscopy.

Notable awards include the Royal Society University Research Fellowship (1989–1994). His group collaborates globally, with satellite labs at the Francis Crick Institute.