Prof Paul Beard

Biography

Paul Beard is Professor of Biomedical Photoacoustics at UCL. He obtained a BSc in Physics at UCL. Following a period at Marconi Underwater Systems Ltd he returned to UCL and obtained a PhD in 1996 in Medical Physics. He founded and leads the Photoacoustic Imaging Group within the Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering. The group's activities are directed towards the development of a new method of non-invasive biomedical imaging based upon the use of laser-generated acoustic waves for visualising the structure and function of soft tissues. Potential applications include the clinical assessment of breast cancer, cardiovascular disease and skin abnormalities. The technique also has important applications as a research tool in the basic life sciences. Our current research encompasses the full range of activities in photoacoustic methods: photoacoustic detection and excitation instrumentation, modelling of photoacoustic signals, image reconstruction algorithms, spectroscopic methods and the application of the technique in the clinical and life sciences.