Nicolas C. Pégard

Nicolas C. Pégard is an Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, jointly affiliated with the School of Medicine's Biomedical Engineering department and the Applied Physical Sciences program. He directs the Computational Biophotonics Laboratory, which develops advanced optical instrumentation for neuroscience and medical applications.

His research integrates physics, engineering, and computer science to create novel optical tools for interrogating biological systems. Key interests include computational microscopy, holography, machine learning approaches to neural imaging, optogenetics, and high-speed optical systems for monitoring neural activity. The lab focuses on task-based optical systems rather than traditional imaging.

Dr. Pégard's publications demonstrate a consistent focus on advancing optical techniques for neuroscience. Recent work (2023-2025) shows strong trends in developing holographic methods, compressive imaging techniques, and integrated systems for multimodal neural recording. His team frequently publishes on applications of deep learning to optical problems and creates open-source tools for the research community.

• Sloan Fellowship in Neurosciences (2023)
• Kavli Innovation Grant (2022)
• Beckman Young Investigator Award (2021)
• Burroughs Wellcome Career Award (2018)

The lab actively trains PhD students in interdisciplinary research, with recent graduates including Dr. Hossein Eybposh. Current projects explore holographic optogenetics, voltage imaging, and integrated systems for behavioral neuroscience. The group maintains collaborations with Janelia Research Campus and receives funding from NSF, NIH, and private foundations for developing next-generation neurotechnology platforms.