Faezeh Akbari, a third-year Ph.D. candidate in the F. Joseph Halcomb III, M.D. Department of Biomedical Engineering, has been awarded a $5,000 Optics and Photonics Education Scholarship by the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), the international society for optics and photonics, for potential contributions to the field of optics, photonics, or related field.
Akbari conducts research in the Biomedical Optics Lab, under the supervision of Guoqiang Yu, Ph.D., on the non-invasive measurement of deep blood flow using Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging.
Since starting her doctoral studies at UK, Akbari was a presenter at the 2024 and 2025 SPIE Photonics West conferences, co-founded the SPIE student chapter at the University of Kentucky and published her first Ph.D. paper in Neurophotonics, a SPIE journal.
"SPIE has been a cornerstone of my Ph.D. journey in the U.S., and I’m incredibly proud to be part of this dynamic and inspiring community," said Akbari. "Being recognized by such a respected organization is both empowering and deeply motivating. I’m sincerely grateful for this support, and excited for what lies ahead."
Akbari earned her bachelor’s degree in optics and laser engineering and a master’s degree in photonics, and specializes in optical design, biomedical instrumentation and computational optics. Her interdisciplinary background has enabled her to pursue impactful translational research at the intersection of engineering and medicine. Akbari’s current work focuses on the development of a digital micromirror device (DMD)-based diffuse speckle contrast imaging system for depth-sensitive monitoring of cerebral blood flow.
Over the last two years, Akbari has been the recipient of several UK awards and honors. She was the recipient of the 2025 Outstanding Graduate Student Award from the F. Joseph Halcomb III, M.D. Department of Biomedical Engineering, the 2024 Halcomb Fellowship in Medicine and Engineering and a Max Steckler Fellowship from The Graduate School. From the Gatton College of Business and Economics and the Von Allmen Center for Entrepreneurship, she earned first place in the graduate track of the 2025 PNC Wildcat Pitch Competition, first place in the 2024 Entrepreneurship Startup Pitch Competition and was a winner of the Bootcamp 1.0 online Business Accelerator in 2024.
Akbari also received a committee chair award for her service as co-chair of the Graduate Student Congress's Mental and Emotional Wellbeing Committee, and was selected for Biophotonics Summer School, sponsored by the Center for Label-free Imaging and Multiscale Biophotonics, at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2024.
SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, brings engineers, scientists, students, and business professionals together to advance light-based science and technology. The Society, founded in 1955, connects and engages with our global constituency through industry-leading conferences and exhibitions; publications of conference proceedings, books, and journals in the SPIE Digital Library; and career-building opportunities. Over the past five years, we have invested more than $25 million in the international optics community through our advocacy and support, including scholarships, educational resources, travel grants, endowed gifts, and public-policy development. www.spie.org.
