Keith D. Paulsen is the MacLean Professor of Engineering at Dartmouth College’s Thayer School of Engineering and holds the title of Professor of Radiology & Surgery at the Geisel School of Medicine. He serves as Scientific Director of the Center for Surgical Innovation at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and Co-Director of the Translational Engineering in Cancer Research Program at the Norris Cotton Cancer Center. His roles emphasize interdisciplinary collaboration between engineering, medicine, and oncology. Paulsen earned a BSc in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University (1981), followed by MS (1984) and PhD (1986) degrees in Engineering Sciences from Dartmouth College. His research focuses on biomedical imaging, cancer therapeutics, and image-guided surgery, with particular expertise in optical and electromagnetic methodologies. He has pioneered technologies such as fluorescence-guided surgery, quantitative scatter imaging, and non-linear image reconstruction techniques, aiming to enhance surgical precision and cancer diagnosis. His awards include fellowships from OSA, SPIE, AIMBE, IEEE, and the National Academy of Inventors. Paulsen’s work has led to startups like CairnSurgical (where he serves as CTO) and InSight Surgical Technologies, translating research into clinical tools. Key projects include intraoperative imaging systems for brain and spine surgery, microwave imaging for breast cancer, and optical molecular imaging for real-time surgical guidance. Paulsen teaches advanced computational methods (ENGS 205, 105) and courses on medical device innovation (ENGM 189.1/2). His lab, part of Dartmouth’s Optics in Medicine cluster, collaborates with radiology, surgery, and oncology departments to develop clinical technologies funded by NIH, NCI, and DoD grants.







