Personal profile
Research interests
The application of shaped laser beams to trap, analyse and manipulate collidal particles, cells and tissue. Our work includes optical tweezers and particle rotation with applications in biophotonics, studies of novel light beams (including Bessel beams, Airy beams, Laguerre-Gaussian beams), shaping light through disordered materials, advanced imaging, Raman analysis, cell nanosurgery.
For further information, see http://photon.st-andrews.ac.uk/manipulation/ at the University of St Andrews
Industrial relevance
single and multi-beam optical traps, Drug delivery; gene therapy; cancer research, Raman analysis
Academic/Professional Qualification
B.A, Natural Sci, Physics, Churchill College, University of Cambridge; M.Sc., Applied Optics, Imperial College, London; Ph.D., Laser Physics, Imperial College, London; Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Optical Society of America and SPIE
Teaching activity
I am very passionate about teaching and innovation in communicating science. I deliver two lecture courses with colleagues at St Andrews, each of which i instigated, namely "Biophotonics" and "Applications of Quantum Physics". I have also designed and implemented optical trapping systems for the undergraduate and Masters Course laboratories.I also undertake various tutorials and postgraduate teaching activities
Keywords
- QC Physics
- Light beams
- Manipulation
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being -
SDG 14 Life Below Water
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Extended transport and size selection of gold-nanorods using a liquid-immersible all-fiber Airy-like beam
Lee, H., Choi, H., Partanen, M., Kim, M., Vinod, A. T., Lee, M., Lee, H. J., Kim, S., Dholakia, K., Hong, S. & Oh, K., 6 May 2026, In: ACS Photonics. 13, 9, p. 2696-2703 8 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors for enhanced biomedical imaging
Hughes, E. C. V., Upadhya, A. & Dholakia, K., 1 Nov 2026, In: Journal of Biomedical Optics. 31, 11, 22 p., 113502.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
A neuromorphic camera for tracking passive and active matter with lower data throughput
Britto Monteiro, G., Lim, M., Tan, T. C. Y., Upadhya, A., Liang, Z., Agnew, B., Hu, T., Eggleton, B. J., Perrella, C., Dunning, K. & Dholakia, K., 7 Oct 2025, In: Laser & Photonics Reviews. 19, 19, p. 1-10 10 p., e00106.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Microrheology of the cumulus-oocyte matrix using optical tweezers
Campugan, C. A., Perrella, C., Lim, M., Tan, T. C. Y., Schartner, E. P., Arita, Y., Bruce, G. D., Mendonca, T., Wright, A. J., Dholakia, K. & Dunning, K. R., 20 Feb 2025, In: JPhys Photonics. 7, 2, 10 p., 025008.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Non-invasive optical quantification of methanol in bottled spirits
Kritzinger, A., Dwapanyin, G. O., Mouthaan, R., Bruce, G. D. & Dholakia, K., 8 Oct 2025, Online: arXiv, 28 p.Research output: Working paper › Preprint
Open Access
Datasets
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Data underpinning: Learned deconvolution using physics priors for structured light-sheet microscopy
Wijesinghe, P. (Creator), Corsetti, S. (Creator), Chow, D. (Creator), Sakata, S. (Creator), Dunning, K. (Creator) & Dholakia, K. (Creator), University of St Andrews, 7 Jun 2021
DOI: 10.17630/bf92bc18-0b81-41f7-bd44-d74040af7cf0
Dataset
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Asymmetric longitudinal optical binding force between two identical dielectric particles with electric and magnetic dipolar responses
Duan, X.-Y. (Creator), Bruce, G. D. (Creator), Li, F. (Creator) & Dholakia, K. (Creator), University of St Andrews, 25 Jul 2022
DOI: 10.17630/feba0b63-6ec5-46e0-97e3-da3a90d52006
Dataset
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Data underpinning: "Investigation of refractive index dynamics during in vitro embryo development using off-axis digital holographic microscopy"
Dwapanyin, G. (Creator), Chow, D. (Creator), Tan, T. (Creator), Dubost, N. (Creator), Morizet, J. (Creator), Dunning, K. (Creator) & Dholakia, K. (Creator), University of St Andrews, 5 Jul 2023
DOI: 10.17630/87a7bc38-ddc6-4f65-a403-8be7297293ac
Dataset
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Data Underpinning "To focus-match or not to focus-match inverse spatially offset Raman spectroscopy: a question of light penetration"
Shillito, G. (Creator), McMillan, L. T. (Creator), Bruce, G. D. (Creator) & Dholakia, K. (Creator), University of St Andrews, 4 Mar 2022
DOI: 10.17630/6afe39e2-5988-4c87-bf8a-d6228593364c
Dataset
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Data underpinning "Measurement of variations in gas refractive index with 10^{-9} resolution using laser speckle"
Facchin, M. (Creator), Bruce, G. D. (Creator) & Dholakia, K. (Creator), University of St Andrews, 18 Feb 2022
DOI: 10.17630/f19b1d1f-5064-4575-bad5-a50d15ba2f34, https://doi.org/10.17630/sta/419
Dataset
File
Projects
- 68 Finished
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Prosperity Partnership Additional: Prosperity Partnership Additional Allocation Offer
Dholakia, K. (PI)
14/12/23 → 31/03/24
Project: Standard
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3D trapping of microparticles in fluid: A novel geometry for three-dimensional trapping of microparticles in fluid
Dholakia, K. (PI)
1/01/21 → 1/06/21
Project: Standard
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PROSCOPE: PROSCOPE
Dholakia, K. (PI)
Joint Research Centre European Commission
1/01/20 → 31/12/24
Project: Standard
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H2020-FETOPEN-2018-2020. DynAMic: H2020-FETOPEN-2018-2020. DynAMic
Dholakia, K. (PI)
Joint Research Centre European Commission
1/01/20 → 31/12/23
Project: Standard
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TRAFIX: Imaging at depth: TRAFIX: Imaging at depth
Dholakia, K. (PI)
1/04/19 → 31/07/19
Project: Standard
Activities
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Physics Evaluation Group of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC) (External organisation)
Dholakia, K. (Participant)
1 Sept 2010 → 30 Jun 2013Activity: Membership types › Membership of peer review panel or committee
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National Science Week
Dholakia, K. (Participant)
2005 → …Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in or organising a public festival/exhibition/event
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Invited Summer school lecturer Biophotonics Meeting India, Dehradrun, Dec 2005
Dholakia, K. (Participant)
2005 → …Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in or organising a workshop, seminar, course
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Invited Summer school lecturer Biophotonics Denmark, Aug 2005
Dholakia, K. (Participant)
2005 → …Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in or organising a workshop, seminar, course
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Co-chair of Optical Micromanipulation conference SPIE San Diego 2005
Dholakia, K. (Organiser)
2005 → …Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in or organising a conference
Prizes
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2017 Thomas Young Medal and Prize
Dholakia, K. (Recipient), 2017
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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EPSRC Public Understanding of Science Award,
Dholakia, K. (Recipient), 2004
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Dholakia, K. (Recipient), 2007
Prize: Election to learned society
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Photonics Club of Excellence Prize USA, Photonics West, USA, , Commerical Optical Tweezers
Dholakia, K. (Recipient), 2005
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)