Dr Kevin Webb
Associate Professor in Applied Optics & Electrophysiology, Faculty of Engineering
I have over 15 years of experience in the design, development, and application of novel imaging and sensing technologies to study applied physiology, using imaging and electrophysiology to address a range of scales from subcellular to tissue level. I was appointed Associate Professor in Applied Optics & Electrophysiology following a Royal Academy of Engineering Fellowship, funded by UK (UKRI, RAEng), and international (ERC, NIH, NSF, Leverhulme Trust) grants.
My instrument designs have been adopted commercially. The Aura and Aura Pro phase contrast illuminators (Cairn Research) are based on my optical designs, recently adopted as the standard illuminator for the OpenFrame™ platform of modular microscopes. The multimodal illuminator for the new LS820 and LS850 high-content imaging systems from Etaluma Inc is also of my design.
My principal research interest is in label-free, real time, non-invasive imaging and sensing of dynamic physiology within living systems including plants, eyes, and brains. My work spans the Faculties of Engineering and Medicine and Health Sciences at Nottingham. I have contributed to EU COST training actions in ocular medicine, taught on the EMBO Advanced Optical Microscopy course in Plymouth, UK, and ran a summer school in Bari, Italy on Ion and water channel physiology in 2022.
N3Centre Research Interests
- Understanding neural mechanisms
- Developing novel forms of neurotechnology
- Clinical translation/application of neurotechnology
Current projects
Project title: Exploring the physiology and dynamics of plant cells using fast lifetime contrast imaging
Funding: £990k, £1.8 million, 2024-25, Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council ALERT grant (CI)
Role: Co-Investigator
Project title: Translational Center for Microphysiological Systems (TraCe MPS) (Imaging Technology lead) with University of Rochester, Duke University.
Funding: $7.5M, 2024-28, National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Project title: Hydrosensing: Discovering how plants sense and adapt to water stress” with University of Regensberg, University of Trondheim, Tel Aviv University
Funding: €9.8M, 2024-28, European Research Council (ERC) Synergy award
Project title: An open and shut case
Funding: £926k, 2022-25, BBSRC Responsive Mode award