Stillingsbeskrivelse

Summary
I am a researcher and Principal Investigator (PI) at UiT The Arctic University of Norway, working at the intersection of biomedical technology, cancer biophysics, mechanobiology, biomaterials, quantitative microscopy and computational image analysis.

My research focuses on understanding how cancer cells interact with and adapt to their physical microenvironment, and on translating this knowledge into engineered human disease models and functional technologies for cancer research and drug development. My research group combines biomaterials, microengineered tumor models, advanced label-free microscopy, quantitative imaging, and computational analysis to investigate cancer cell behavior, phenotypic plasticity, and response to treatment.

A central theme in my research is interdisciplinary method and technology development, where basic cancer biology and biophysics are connected with engineering and clinical translation. This has led to innovations such as Cymoplive, a functional preclinical platform for quantifying cancer cell migration, adaptation and response to therapeutic influences in engineered microenvironments. I also develop biomaterial-based models and tumor-on-chip technologies to model patient-specific cancer biology and improve physiologically relevant preclinical tests.

My research brings together expertise and collaborators in physics, engineering, biomaterials, cell biology, cancer research, computational analysis, and clinical medicine. The overall goal is to develop quantitative technologies that provide a better understanding of disease while helping to accelerate the translation of scientific discoveries into useful biomedical solutions and health technologies.

Outside of the lab, I like to explore cuisines from different parts of the world in the kitchen – a rather different kind of experimental platform.

Research funding
I lead and contribute to interdisciplinary research and innovation projects supported through national, regional, European and institutional funding schemes, including:

Research Council of Norway (RCN)
Helse Nord RHF
European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
MABIT – Marine Biotechnology in Northern Norway
UiT The Arctic University of Norway

The projects include basic research, development of biomedical technology, cancer modelling, translational research and research-driven innovation.

Education
PhD in Medical Sciences and Technology, 2021
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India
Thesis: Evaluating Fibrosis Linked with Wound Healing and Cancer Using Biophotonics and Biomechanics-based Applications

Master of Technology in Medical Imaging and Informatics, 2014
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India
The master's thesis was conducted in collaboration with Technische Universität München, Germany.
Thesis: Correlating Ultrasonic Speckle Distribution to Functional State of a Lesion for Augmenting Specificity in Diagnostic Sonomammography

Bachelor of Technology in Biotechnology, 2012
West Bengal University of Technology, India

Professional Memberships
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
European Association for Cancer Research (EACR)
Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS)
Biophysical Society (BPS)
IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS)
Sigma Xi – The Scientific Research Honor Society
Optica

Current research interests
Biomedical engineering · Cancer biophysics · Mechanobiology · Cancer cell migration and phenotypic plasticity · Tumor-on-chip and microphysiological systems · Biomaterials and engineered microenvironments · 3D disease models · Quantitative and computational microscopy · Label-free imaging · Image analysis · Preclinical drug testing · Translational cancer research