Prof Sarah Bohndiek appointed as a Founding Programme Director of ARIA

Prof Sarah Bohndiek has been selected as one of eight founding Programme Directors of the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA), a new governmental research and development funding agency built to unlock scientific and technological breakthroughs for everyone’s benefit.

Prof Bohndiek will be co-directing a programme with Dr Gemma Bale from the Departments  of Engineering and Physics. Together, they will be responsible for designing and overseeing ARIA’s initial programme to explore using optics for planetary and human health.

They will be looking to accelerate the use and applications of optical technologies, initially by exploring ideas around non-invasive optical mapping and sensing across a range of applications – from monitoring human health to climate change.

Over the next three years, Prof Bohndiek and Dr Bale will develop a concrete programme around their visions and build the multidisciplinary communities to make them a reality. ARIA will be seeking input and inspiration from the community as they drive towards launching formal programmes in the coming months.

Prof Sarah Bohndiek, Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute and Department of Physics, said “Gemma and I are both passionate about the future health of our planet and the people on it. This is an incredible opportunity for the two of us to shape the UK funding landscape through this new agency.”

Dr Gemma Bale, Department of Physics and Department of Engineering said “Working in the health tech space, we have created new tools to allow us to safely see inside humans in new ways using light. We believe that there are emerging optical technologies at the edge of the possible, which will disrupt the current landscape.”

As Prof Bohndiek contributes to shaping the strategic vision of ARIA, her research groups will continue their vital work at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute and the Department of Physics.

For more information, visit: https://www.aria.org.uk/what-were-working-on/