When
Friday, October 16, 2026, at 12:00 p.m.
Drachman A114 | Zoom link
Yeran Bai
Assistant Professor of Optical Sciences
University of Arizona
"Advancing Biomedical Research through Mid-Infrared Photothermal Microscopy"
Abstract: Visualizing molecular and metabolic details is essential for understanding complex biological processes and disease mechanisms. However, most conventional imaging methods rely on fluorescent labels or lack chemical specificity. Mid-infrared photothermal (MIP) microscopy overcomes these limitations by directly sensing molecular vibrations through the photothermal effect, providing label-free chemical contrast with submicrometer resolution. In this talk, I will introduce the fundamentals of MIP microscopy, highlight recent advances that enhance selectivity and speed, and showcase its applications in studying cellular metabolism and antimicrobial responses. These developments illustrate how MIP microscopy enables a new level of insight into biomedical systems at the single-cell scale.
Bio: Yeran Bai is an assistant professor in the Wyant College of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona. Bai earned a PhD in optical engineering from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and completed postdoctoral training in biomedical engineering at Boston University and neurobiology at UC Santa Barbara. The Bai laboratory develops optical imaging methods, including mid-infrared photothermal microscopy, to investigate metabolism and cellular adaptation at the single-cell level. This work bridges optical engineering and biomedical research, with applications in antibiotic response, microbial communities and neurodegeneration.
Zuha Yousuf
PhD Candidate of Biomedical Engineering
University of Arizona
"Engineering Methods for the Treatment of Pelvic Floor Disorders"
Abstract: Pelvic floor disorders (PFD) encompass different clinical conditions such as fecal and urinary incontinence (urge, stress and mixed), pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and pelvic-perineal region pain syndrome. Its prevalence ranges between 1.9 to 46.5% worldwide, and 25% within the United States. PFDs pose considerable financial and emotional consequences for women’s health and quality of life. Damage to pelvic floor muscles (PFMs) or the nerves supplying them during vaginal childbirth, menopause or aging may result in these disorders. Existing therapies range from pelvic floor muscle training and pharmacotherapy to surgical mesh slings and sacral neuromodulation; however, these are limited by poor adherence, systemic side effects, mesh complications from overtightening, or indirect targeting respectively. Here, I will discuss how my work contributes to pelvic floor support using dynamic urethral support meshes, improves pelvic neuromodulation therapies by exploring the activation of distal pelvic floor nerves, and enables a route for clinical translatability of neuromodulation therapies by first characterizing a large animal model of pelvic floor innervation, and next, simulating the activation currents needed to recruit the pelvic floor using hybrid computational nerve models. Together, this work provides the anatomical, computational, and functional foundation needed to develop neuromodulation as a direct, durable treatment for PFDs.
Bio: Zuha Yousuf is a PhD candidate in the biomedical engineering department at the University of Arizona. She was introduced to neural engineering while completing her undergraduate degree in BME at NED University in Pakistan, where she investigated the therapeutic effect of EEG-neurofeedback on spinal cord injured patients with neuropathic pain. She then received a Fulbright scholarship to pursue an MS degree in BME at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, where she gained extensive research experience in urodynamics testing and peripheral neuromodulation for evaluating and treating bladder dysfunction. After starting her PhD at the Regenerate Neurobiology and Neuroelectronics Lab (RNNL), she initially investigated the use of liquid crystal elastomers in providing urethral support for managing female stress incontinence. Her current research revolves around characterizing a large animal model of pelvic floor innervation and developing hybrid computational models of pelvic floor nerves.