About the Project: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a critical health challenge in low- and lower-middle-income countries (LLMICs), where timely and accessible diagnostic tools are lacking. This project addresses that gap by developing indigenously designed, low-cost, portable optical fiber diagnostic platforms for rapid TB detection. Building on our recent successes in Raman spectroscopy and optical fiber cavity ring down spectroscopy (OFCRDS), this interdisciplinary initiative is focused on making TB diagnostics as accessible as glucometers. The work is in collaboration with Gulab Devi Hospital, Lahore, and brings together experts from engineering, chemistry, biology, and medicine in both Pakistan and Norway. Relevant papers:
- Ubaid et al., "Lipoarabinomannan-based tuberculosis diagnosis using a fiber cavity ring down biosensor," Biomed. Opt. Express 15(3), 1428-1436 (2024).
- M. Daniyal Ghauri et al., "Detection of aflatoxin M1 by fiber cavity attenuated phase shift spectroscopy", Optics Express 29 (3), 3873-3881 (2021)
- Ubaid et al., "Raman Spectroscopy and Machine Learning-based Optical Sensor for Rapid Tuberculosis Diagnosis via Sputum," Tuberculosis (136), 102251, 2022.Position Overview: We seek Research Assistants (RAs) to contribute to the design, development, and clinical validation of Raman and OFCRDS-based TB diagnostic platforms. These roles offer the opportunity to be part of a pioneering project with real-world translational impact.
Responsibilities
- Contribute to the experimental design, fabrication, and optimization of optical sensors.
- Assist in integrating and testing Raman and cavity ring down spectroscopy systems for biological samples.
- Perform data acquisition, preprocessing, and analysis of spectroscopic results.
- Collaborate with biological and clinical teams on sample collection and interpretation.
- Support the preparation of research manuscripts, reports, and grant proposals.
- Maintain detailed documentation of experiments and protocols.
Duration: 24 months (with the possibility of extension for another 24 months)
Starting date: 1st Aug 2025 or earlier
- BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a closely related discipline.
- Background in optics/photonics, instrumentation, or experimental physics.
- Experience with MATLAB, LabVIEW, Python, or similar tools is a must.
- Experience with optical fibers, spectroscopy, or biomedical instrumentation is a plus.
If you are passionate about making a difference and eager to contribute to transforming the national and global diagnostic landscape, we invite you to join our dynamic, multidisciplinary research group. Your skills and expertise will play a vital role in advancing optical sensor technologies for TB diagnosis, with the potential for significant impact in LLMICs.
Please email your CV and transcripts to Imran.cheema@lums.edu.pk
Imran Cheema, PhD
Associate Professor, EE Department, LUMS (https://web.lums.edu.pk/~bap/)