Xu Lab
Principal Investigator: Chris Xu
Institution: Cornell University (Ithaca, NY)
Primary Subfield: Synthetic Bio
Recruitment Status: ✅ Accepting PhD Students ✅ Hiring Postdocs
Research Focus
Optical recordings of activity are critical to probe neural systems because they provide high-resolution, non-invasive measurements, ranging from single neurons to entire populations in intact nervous systems, and are readily combined with genetic methods to provide cell type-specific recordings. Nevertheless, the limited penetration depth, spatial scale and temporal resolution remain major challenges for optical imaging. Cellular resolution imaging in scattering brains is typically achieved with multiphoton microscopy (MPM). Because of the nonlinear excitation process, the development of multiphoton imaging depends critically on ultrafast technologies, particularly femtosecond sources. From the first demonstrations of second harmonic generation (SHG) and 2-photon fluorescence (ruby laser), the first 2-photon imaging (mode-locked femtosecond laser), to the deepest 3-photon imaging so far (long wavelength optical parametric amplifiers), advances in multiphoton imaging have been largely propelled by the innovations in laser technologies. This research proposal aims to continue this trend. We will develop and disseminate a new generation of ultrafast lasers and multiphoton imaging too…
Active NIH Awards
- 2P01AI102851-11A1: Core B: IMAGING (2026)
- 1U01NS147943-01: Non-Invasive Cellular-Resolution Deep Imaging of Brain Structure and Function (2026)
- 5U01NS128660-04: Deep and Fast Imaging Using Adaptive Excitation Sources (2025)
- 5R01EB033179-04: Toward fast and deep imaging of living tissue with cellular resolution (2025)
- 5R21EY035439-02: A multi-foci objective lens for large scale brain activity recording (2024)
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