Julian Nicolai (MASc candidate)

My academic interests lie in developing sensing devices that probe the natural world using light. In particular, the field of biology is filled with questions where the consequences of their answers are especially relevant to the medical profession. As questions in biology are often specific, delicate, and spatially small, this leads to the natural non-destructive advantage of light as the probing medium and the creation of novel devices to support it. Consequently, biosensing research therefore can have a profound impact on of course biology, but also medicine and the study of the natural world. I am excited to continue my work in biosensing and their applications at the Advanced Photonics Components Lab.
I completed my undergraduate degree in electrical engineering at Carleton in April 2024, where I began work with Prof. Hubert Jean-Ruel on a multi-channel dual-range spectrometer to interrogate tilted fibre Bragg grating sensors at a lower cost than traditional optical spectrum analysers. It is pertinent to biosensing applications, namely in the sensing of refractive index and surface plasmon resonance (such as in the usage for bio-molecular recognition). This work was presented at BGPP 2024.
I then started my master’s degree in electrical engineering with Prof. Jean-Ruel in September 2024 and began work on my thesis topic: to develop and characterise novel, compact Brillouin spectrometer schemes for biomechanical sensing of tissues (such as cartilage). These devices would ideally be used in point-of-care settings for the diagnosis of disease. The wavelength shift of the Brillouin scattering peaks provides information that can be used to deduce evidence of tissue malignancies or malformities.
Following my master’s, I hope to undertake a PhD to be able to take on a longer project and impart a bigger contribution to the field.