Pegah Safavi, a Ph.D. candidate in the F. Joseph Halcomb III, M.D. Department of Biomedical Engineering, has been awarded a $3,500 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.
Safavi works in the Biomedical Optics Lab, mentored by Guoqiang Yu, Ph.D., on developing a wearable, fiber-free optical sensors for continuous monitoring of cerebral hemodynamics. Her work integrates optical imaging, signal processing, and translational neuroscience to study cerebral hemodynamics in models of aging, Alzheimer’s disease, and brain injury
"This recognition from SPIE, a leading global society in optics and photonics, means a lot to me—not just financially, but symbolically," said Safavi. "When I began my Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering – Optics, I made a big leap from my previous background in Medical Radiation Engineering. Everything was unfamiliar at first — a new field, new tools, new challenges. But through perseverance, mentorship, and a deep passion for advancing noninvasive brain monitoring technologies, I’ve grown into this path that once felt out of reach."
Safavi has received multiple honors for academic excellence, scientific communication, and leadership. Most notably, she is an inaugural recipient of the Pigman College of Engineering Lighthouse Beacon Foundation Graduate Fellowship. She was also the winner of the 2025 Sarah Bennett Holmes Graduate Student Award and the graduate track of the 2025 PNC Wildcat Pitch Competition. Safavi aims to bridge the gap between research innovations and real-world clinical impact.
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.
