Director of Light Microscopy
Kevin O'Holleran is accepting applications for PhD students.
Biography:
Dr Kevin O’Holleran is a physicist with expertise in the field of advanced light shaping; from esoteric laser manipulation to more applied beam shaping for super-resolution microscopy. He received his PhD from the University of Glasgow where he was the first to successfully embed an isolated knotted singularity into a laser beam and to discover the equations that determine the topology of simple wave superpositions.
He successfully developed a novel Structured Illumination Microscope at the National Physical Laboratory, essential for underpinning UK knowledge in super-resolution metrology and still exists as a platform for exploring super-resolution standards at NPL. This microscope was novel in its use of electro-optics for precise polarisation control and custom designed algorithms to allow deeper imaging of fluorescently labelled biological tissue.
In 2013 he was appointed Director of the Cambridge Advanced Imaging Centre (CAIC), a strategically important research facility in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Cambridge. Since he was appointed, CAIC’s laboratory has grown significantly in capability offering a full suite of super-resolution imaging modalities, both turn-key commercial microscopes and custom developed systems. His own research continues to focus on advanced bioimaging with a particular emphasis of collaboration and application.
Recent successes have been single molecule imaging of the dynamics of transcription factors in living drosophila tissue and the improvement of 3D super-resolution imaging to achieve optimum accuracy. He has extensive experience in leading interdisciplinary research that delivers technology for the life sciences. Currently he is working with a consortium of research groups to deliver new photomanipulation tools that will enable a range of experimental firsts.
Research Interests
His own research continues to focus on advanced bioimaging with a particular emphasis of collaboration and application. Recent successes have been single molecule imaging of the dynamics of transcription factors in living drosophila tissue and the invention of a new 3D super-resolution technique: Single Molecule Light Field Microscopy.
Teaching
- Advanced imaging techniques (undergraduate and graduate student level)
Key Publications
- Single Molecule Light Field Microscopy. R. R. Sims, S. Abdul Rehman, M. O. Lenz, A. Clark, E. W. Sanders, A. Ponjavic, L. Muresan, S. F. Lee, K. O’Holleran. Biorxiv preprint (2020).
- ThX–a next-generation probe for the early detection of amyloid aggregates. LM Needham et al. Chemical Science (2020).
- Light field microsocpy: principles and applications. R. R. Sims, K. O’Holleran & M. Shaw. Infocus, 53, (2019)
- Activation of the Notch Signaling Pathway In Vivo Elicits Changes in CSL Nuclear Dynamics. M. J. Gomez-Lamarca et. al. Developmental Cell, 44, 1-13 (2018)
- Maximizing the field of view and accuracy in 3D Single Molecule Localization Microscopy. S. Abdul Rehman, A. R. Carr, M. O. Lenz, S. F. Lee and K. O’Holleran. Optics Express, 26, (4) 4631-4637 (2018).
- High speed structured illumination microscopy in optically thick samples. M. Shaw, L. Zajiczek & K. O'Holleran. Methods, 1046-2023 (2015)
-
Optimized approaches for optical sectioning and resolution enhancement in 2D structured illumination microscopy. K. O'Holleran and M. Shaw. Biomedical Optics Express, 5, pp. 2580-2590 (2014)
-
Investigation of the confocal wavefront sensor and its application to biological microscopy. M. Shaw, K. O’Holleran and C. Patterson. Optics Express, 21, pp. 19353-19362 (2013).
-
Polarization effects on contrast in structured illumination microscopy. K. O’Holleran and M. Shaw. Optics Letters, 37, 4603-4605 (2012).
-
Isolated optical vortex knots. M. R. Dennis, R. P. King, B. Jack, K. O’Holleran and M. J. Padgett. Nature Physics 6, 118-121 (2010).
-
Optical Vortices and Polarization Singularities. M. R. Dennis, K. O’Holleran and M. J. Padgett. Singular Optics: . Progr. Opt. 53, 293-364 (2009), doi: 10.1016/S0079-6638(08)00205-9
-
Topology of light’s darkness. K. O’Holleran, M. R. Dennis and M. J. Padgett. . Phys. Rev. Lett., 102, 143902 (2009).
-
Fractality of light’s darkness. K. O’Holleran, F. Flossmann, M. R. Dennis and M. J. Padgett. .Phys. Rev. Lett., 100, 053902, (2008).
-
Topology of optical vortex lines formed by the interference of three, four and five plane waves. K. O’Holleran, M. J. Padgett and M. R. Dennis. Opt. Express, 14, (7):3039-3044, (2006).
