James Tunnell

James defended his PhD thesis in June, 2002. He worked as a postdoctoral research associate for 3 years at MIT. He is now an assistant professor in the Biomedical Engineering department at UT Austin. His webpage while at Rice is provided below:

My research focuses on non-ablative cutaneous laser therapies such as the removal of hypervascular malformations, leg veins, unwanted hair, and facial rhytides. We use cryogen spray cooling to cool the skin surface while using laser light to induce a therapeutic response deep within the skin. We utilize three main tools of investigation: (1) theoretical calculations, (2) experimental investigations, and (3) clinical studies. We use mathematical models to investigate the light distribution and heat transfer in skin due to laser irradiation. In the laboratory, we use tissue phantoms to study the heat transfer mechanisms of cryogen spray cooling and laser irradiation in vitro. Finally, we conduct in vivo clinical studies in collaboration with researchers in the Plastic Surgery Department at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center just across the street from the Rice University campus.
Research Interests: Biomedical optics, light propagation in tissue, photo-thermal tissue interactions, dermatologic laser therapy, bio-heat transfer
James W Tunnell
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Photomedicine and Biomedical Photonics Lab
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Last Update: June, 2003