Spectroscopy Magazine Announces the 2019 Emerging Leader in Molecular Spectroscopy

Ishan Barman, PhD

Ishan Barman, PhD, an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University, has won the 2019 Emerging Leader in Molecular Spectroscopy Award, which is presented by Spectroscopy magazine. This annual award recognizes the achievements and aspirations of a talented young molecular spectroscopist, selected by an independent scientific committee. The award will be presented to Barman at the SciX 2019 conference in October, where he will give a plenary lecture and be honored in an award symposium.

Barman received his PhD in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2011. He then served as a postdoctoral researcher in the Laser Biomedical Research Center at MIT before taking his current position at Johns Hopkins.

Barman’s research is broadly directed toward determining transformations affecting human health. By combining spectroscopy, imaging, and chemometrics, he develops novel approaches in which structural and molecular data converge to provide integrated insight from molecular to tissue levels. A principal theme of his research has been in Raman spectroscopy measurements of tissue biochemistry, with sensitivity and specificity to localized biochemical changes enhanced by imaging. For instance, his laboratory’s measurements have permitted detailed analysis of the metastatic cascade and have simultaneously pushed the translation of optical tools for early detection of cancer via integration with biopsy needles.

Another module of his program involves the design and synthesis of surface-enhanced Raman (SERS) scattering probes. These nanostructured probes offer near single-molecule sensitivity, possess an innate immunity to bleaching, and have been harnessed to generate liquid biopsy platforms for diagnosis and therapy response monitoring. These probes have also been used as in vivo imaging agents for precise visualization of tumor margins and multifocal locoregional spread.

Barman has already received several other prestigious awards, including the Thomas A. Hirschfeld Award from the Federation of Analytical Chemistry and Spectroscopy Societies; the Dr. Horace Furumoto Innovations Young Investigator Award from the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery; an Outstanding Young Engineer Award from the Maryland Academy of Sciences; as well as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s New Innovator Award.

For information about how to nominate a candidate for the 2020 award, please see the call for nominations.