Grigoriadis
Advances in healthcare increasingly emerge at the intersection of engineering, medicine, biology, and materials science. Throughout my career, I have pursued research that integrates these disciplines through the development of light-based technologies for diagnostics, therapeutics, biological preservation, and materials engineering. Beginning with studies of laser-tissue interactions and thermal transport phenomena for medical applications, our work has evolved into a broad research program spanning biomedical optics, cryobiology, advanced manufacturing, and surface functionalization.
One major thrust of our research focuses on creating transformative tools for neuroscience and neuroengineering through transparent ceramic cranial implants. These biocompatible yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) implants provide long-term optical access to brain tissue, enabling real-time imaging, sensing, and light-based therapeutic interventions. The technology has the potential to support new approaches for monitoring and treating neurological disorders while reducing the need for repeated invasive surgical procedures.
A second area of emphasis lies in the development of next-generation biopreservation technologies. As part of collaborations within the NSF Engineering Research Center for Advanced Technologies for the Preservation of Biological Systems (ATP-Bio), we are developing laser-assisted rewarming approaches for the recovery of cryopreserved biological specimens. This work combines expertise in optics, thermal sciences, biology, and systems engineering to address critical challenges in regenerative medicine, biodiversity preservation, and the future of organ banking.
Beyond these biomedical applications, our group investigates laser-enabled materials processing and functional surface engineering. Recent efforts include laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) for mitigating cavitation erosion, as well as advanced optical diagnostic techniques such as Raman spectroscopy and digital holography for monitoring physical and chemical processes in complex systems. These projects illustrate how innovations developed in one field can often find impact across multiple engineering and healthcare domains.
This presentation will highlight how fundamental mechanical engineering principles, when combined with advances in biology, medicine, and materials science, can drive the creation of disruptive health technologies and foster new opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration across academia, healthcare, and industry.