American optical engineer (1971–2022)
Gabriel Popescu (October 24, 1971 – June 16, 2022) was an American
optical engineer , who was the William L. Everitt Distinguished Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering at
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign . He was best known for his work on
biomedical optics and
quantitative phase-contrast microscopy .
Biography
Popescu was born on October 24, 1971, in
Romania .
[1] He obtained bachelor's and master's degrees in physics from the
University of Bucharest in 1995 and 1996, respectively. He further obtained a master's degree and a PhD in optics, in 1999 and 2002, respectively, from
School of Optics at
University of Central Florida . In 2002, he joined
Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a postdoctoral researcher under the supervision of
Michael Stephen Feld .
[1]
[2]
In 2007, Popescu joined the
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as an assistant professor and established the Quantitative Light Imaging (QLI) Laboratory. At this institution, he was affiliated with the Electrical and Computer Engineering and Bioengineering departments, as well as with the
Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology .
[1]
[3] In 2009, he obtained American citizenship.
[4]
Popescu was an associate editor for
Optics Express and
Biomedical Optics Express and served as an editorial board member for
Journal of Biomedical Optics and
Scientific Reports . He was a Fellow of
Optica ,
SPIE and
American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering .
[1] He is the author of the textbook Quantitative Phase Imaging of Cells and Tissues and editor of Nanobiophotonics , which were released respectively in 2010 and 2011.
[1] He is also the founder of the
startup company Phi Optics, which focuses on the commercialization of
quantitative phase-contrast microscopy .
[2]
On June 16, 2022, Popescu died in his native village of
Prundu , after suffering a fatal motorcycle accident. He was survived by his wife Catherine Best-Popescu, a research assistant professor at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and two children.
[2]
[5]
Research
Popescu's research has focused on
biomedical optics ,
optical microscopy and
spectroscopy . He has been regarded as a pioneering figure in
quantitative phase-contrast microscopy , which facilitates non-destructive and label-free
imaging of biological samples.
[1] Respectively in 2006, 2010 and 2017, he introduced different extensions of this method:
[1] diffraction phase microscopy,
[6] spatial light interference microscopy
[7] and gradient light interference microscopy.
[8]
Selected publications
Books
Popescu, Gabriel, ed. (2010). Nanobiophotonics . McGraw-Hill.
ISBN
9780071737012 .
Popescu, Gabriel (2011). Quantitative Phase Imaging of Cells and Tissues . McGraw-Hill.
ISBN
9780071663427 .
Journal articles
Popescu, Gabriel; Deflores, Lauren P.; Vaughan, Joshua C.; Badizadegan, Kamran; Iwai, Hidenao; Dasari, Ramachandra R.;
Feld, Michael S. (2004). "Fourier phase microscopy for investigation of biological structures and dynamics".
Optics Letters . 29 (21): 2503–2505.
Bibcode :
2004OptL...29.2503P .
doi :
10.1364/OL.29.002503 .
PMID
15584275 .
Ikeda, Takahiro; Popescu, Gabriel; Dasari, Ramachandra R.; Feld, Michael S. (2005). "Hilbert phase microscopy for investigating fast dynamics in transparent systems". Optics Letters . 30 (10): 1165–1167.
Bibcode :
2005OptL...30.1165I .
doi :
10.1364/OL.30.001165 .
PMID
15945142 .
Popescu, Gabriel; Ikeda, Takahiro; Dasari, Ramachandra R.; Feld, Michael S. (2006). "Diffraction phase microscopy for quantifying cell structure and dynamics". Optics Letters . 31 (6): 775–777.
Bibcode :
2006OptL...31..775P .
doi :
10.1364/OL.31.000775 .
PMID
16544620 .
Park, YongKeun; Diez-Silva, Monica; Popescu, Gabriel; Lykotrafitis, George (2008).
"Refractive index maps and membrane dynamics of human red blood cells parasitized by Plasmodium falciparum" .
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . 105 (37): 13730–13735.
Bibcode :
2008PNAS..10513730P .
doi :
10.1073/pnas.0806100105 .
PMC
2529332 .
PMID
18772382 .
Wang, Zhuo; Millet, Larry; Mir, Mustafa; Ding, Huafeng; Unarunotai, Sakulsuk; Rogers, John; Gillette, Martha U.; Popescu, Gabriel (2011).
"Spatial light interference microscopy (SLIM)" .
Optics Express . 19 (2): 1016–1026.
Bibcode :
2011OExpr..19.1016W .
doi :
10.1364/OE.19.001016 .
PMC
3482902 .
PMID
21263640 .
Nguyen, Tan H.; Kandel, Mikhail E.; Rubessa, Marcello; Wheeler, Matthew B.; Popescu, Gabriel (2017).
"Gradient light interference microscopy for 3D imaging of unlabeled specimens" .
Nature Communications . 8 (1): 210.
Bibcode :
2017NatCo...8..210N .
doi :
10.1038/s41467-017-00190-7 .
PMC
5547102 .
PMID
28785013 .
Park, YongKeun; Depeursinge, Christian; Popescu, Gabriel (2018). "Quantitative phase imaging in biomedicine".
Nature Photonics . 12 (10): 578–589.
Bibcode :
2018NaPho..12..578P .
doi :
10.1038/s41566-018-0253-x .
S2CID
256704142 .
References
^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g Shaked, Natan T.; Park, YongKeun; Boppart, Stephen A.; Wax, Adam; So, Peter T. C. (15 August 2022).
"In memory of Gabriel Popescu" .
Nature Photonics . 16 (9): 609–610.
Bibcode :
2022NaPho..16..609S .
doi :
10.1038/s41566-022-01056-1 .
S2CID
251606156 .
^
a
b
c
"In Memoriam: Gabriel Popescu" . optica.org . June 16, 2022. Retrieved October 2, 2022 .
^
"Remembering Professor Gabi Popescu" . ece.illinois.edu . Retrieved June 20, 2022 .
^ Popescu, Gabriel.
"U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Testimony by Gabriel Popescu" (PDF) . science.house.gov .
United States House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology . Retrieved October 1, 2022 .
^
"Remembering CREOL alumnus Gabriel Popescu" . creol.ucf.edu . Retrieved October 6, 2022 .
^ Popescu, Gabriel; Ikeda, Takahiro; Dasari, Ramachandra R.; Feld, Michael S. (2006). "Diffraction phase microscopy for quantifying cell structure and dynamics".
Optics Letters . 31 (6): 775–777.
Bibcode :
2006OptL...31..775P .
doi :
10.1364/OL.31.000775 .
PMID
16544620 .
^ Wang, Zhuo; Millet, Larry; Mir, Mustafa; Ding, Huafeng; Unarunotai, Sakulsuk; Rogers, John; Gillette, Martha U.; Popescu, Gabriel (2011).
"Spatial light interference microscopy (SLIM)" .
Optics Express . 19 (2): 1016–1026.
Bibcode :
2011OExpr..19.1016W .
doi :
10.1364/OE.19.001016 .
PMC
3482902 .
PMID
21263640 .
^ Nguyen, Tan H.; Kandel, Mikhail E.; Rubessa, Marcello; Wheeler, Matthew B.; Popescu, Gabriel (2017).
"Gradient light interference microscopy for 3D imaging of unlabeled specimens" .
Nature Communications . 8 (1): 210.
Bibcode :
2017NatCo...8..210N .
doi :
10.1038/s41467-017-00190-7 .
PMC
5547102 .
PMID
28785013 .
External links