معرفی
Jana Kainerstorfer is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), with courtesy appointments in the Neuroscience Institute and Electrical & Computer Engineering. She serves as Associate Department Head for Faculty and Graduate Affairs within the College of Engineering. Her research focuses on developing non-invasive optical imaging methods for disease detection and treatment monitoring, particularly in diffuse optical imaging. Key areas include cerebral hemodynamic monitoring in traumatic brain injury and handheld devices for breast cancer imaging. Dr. Kainerstorfer holds senior membership in the Optical Society of America and has received prestigious awards such as the NIH Trailblazer Award and AHA Scientist Development Grant. She leads the Biophotonics Lab, which bridges engineering and clinical applications, emphasizing translational research.
- Education: PhD from University of Vienna/NIH (2010), Postdoc at Tufts University
Research Interests
Her work revolves around biomedical optics, neurophotonics, and medical device innovation. Current projects include:
- Non-invasive cerebral hemodynamic monitoring
- Transabdominal fetal pulse oximetry
- Optical imaging in extreme environments (e.g., freediving physiology)
Her lab develops tools like wearable NIRS for marine mammals and self-calibrating pulse oximetry algorithms. Research spans clinical translation and physiological mechanism discovery, with emphasis on microvascular imaging.
Awards & Recognition
- NIH Trailblazer Award (2020)
- AHA Scientist Development Grant
- SPIE Fellow (2022)
- George Tallman Ladd Award (CMU)
Lab & Collaborations
The Biophotonics Lab collaborates with neurosurgery, oncology, and marine biology teams. Projects address clinical needs in neurocritical care and fetal monitoring, leveraging optical technologies for real-time diagnostics. Ongoing work includes:
- Optical assessment of cerebral metabolic rates
- Non-invasive intracranial pressure estimation
- Multi-modal EEG-NIRS fusion for neural source localization
