UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS CHICAGO
Meet our officers
Meet our officers
SPIE Student Chapter leadership · 2026–2027
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President
President
Seyed Mohsen Ranjbaran
Seyed Mohsen Ranjbaran
5th Year PhD Student in Biomedical Engineering
5th Year PhD Student in Biomedical Engineering
Mohsen is a research assistant in the Optical & Photoacoustic Imaging Research and Imaging (OPIRA) Lab. His research focuses on advancing photoacoustic tomography through computational imaging and inverse-problem-based reconstruction techniques to improve biomedical imaging performance. He is also the founder and first president of the SPIE Student Chapter at UIC.
Vice President
Vice President
Mojtaba Rahimi
Mojtaba Rahimi
5th Year PhD Candidate in Biomedical Engineering
5th Year PhD Candidate in Biomedical Engineering
Mojtaba is a research assistant in the Biomedical Optics and Ophthalmic Imaging Laboratory. His research focuses on developing advanced ophthalmic imaging technologies, including widefield retinal and choroidal imaging, optical instrumentation, and image-processing techniques for improved diagnosis and monitoring of eye diseases.
Treasurer
Treasurer
Amir Khansari
Amir Khansari
3rd Year PhD Student in Biomedical Engineering
3rd Year PhD Student in Biomedical Engineering
Amir is a research assistant and teaching assistant in the OPIRA Lab. His research focuses on photoacoustic imaging and computational methods for biomedical applications, while he also contributes to undergraduate and graduate education through teaching and mentorship.
Secretary
Secretary
Samin Enam
Samin Enam
2nd Year PhD Student in Biomedical Engineering
2nd Year PhD Student in Biomedical Engineering
Samin is a research assistant in the OPIRA Lab. Her research focuses on photoacoustic tomography, image reconstruction, and computational methods for improving biomedical imaging performance and quantitative tissue characterization.
Outreach Program Chair
Outreach Program Chair
Zaara Haque
Zaara Haque
1st Year MS Student in Biomedical Engineering
1st Year MS Student in Biomedical Engineering
Zaara is a research assistant in the Biomedical Optics and Ophthalmic Imaging Laboratory. Her research focuses on ophthalmic imaging, image processing, and the development of advanced optical imaging technologies for vision science applications.
Advisor
Advisor
Kamran Avanaki, PhD
Kamran Avanaki, PhD
Professor in Biomedical Engineering
Professor in Biomedical Engineering
Dr. Kamran Avanaki is Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). He is the director of the Optical & Photoacoustic Imaging Research and Analysis (OPIRA) Laboratory, where his group develops advanced biomedical imaging systems including photoacoustic computed tomography, photoacoustic microscopy, thermoacoustic imaging, ultrasound, OCT, and microwave imaging for applications in neonatal brain imaging and dermatologic diseases. His research integrates imaging instrumentation, biomedical signal and image analysis, and artificial intelligence methodologies including machine learning, deep learning, and vision transformers.
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