Research Fellow secures Postdoctoral Bridging Fellowship from the Biomedical Research Centre

Dr. Aneesh Vincent Veluthandath, a Research Fellow at the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC), has secured a Fellowship from the Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). The Fellowship is open to internal candidates within the University of Southampton/University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Partnership. The funds are used to support the salary of the Fellow for up to 1 year in the first instance to allow them to secure themselves a long-term externally funded fellowship.

Dr. Senthil Ganapathy, Aneesh’s supervisor, said: “Aneesh’s research is in the Physical-/Life-Sciences interface and the photonic device platform he is developing is very important to move the photonics based medical diagnostics closer to the point of care and bedside. This fellowship is a step-changing opportunity for Aneesh to establish an independent career in the photonics based biomedical diagnosis exploiting the expertise and wealth of knowledge/resources at the ORC and BRC. His affiliation with BRC will provide very useful insight into the clinical needs for photonics based biomedical sensing.”

Regarding his research, Aneesh said: “My research is centred around developing a highly sensitive photonic device for the rapid diagnosis of neonatal Respiratory Distress Syndrome (nRDS), a condition that is most common in premature babies whose lungs are not fully developed. Because there is currently no method for diagnosing this treatment, clinicians treat all babies irrespective of whether they have this condition, which puts these babies at a greater risk of developing respiratory issues in later life.”

Aneesh added: “I am really grateful to have secured this Fellowship and I would like to give thanks to my mentors Professor Senthil Ganapathy, Dr. Ahilanandan Dushianthan, Professor Tony Postle and Professor James Wilkinson. They are great mentors who have really helped support my research.”