Appreciation for biophotonics expert: Prof. Dr. Jürgen Popp receives honorary doctorate from the University at Albany

The University at Albany – State University of New York in the United States of America has awarded Prof. Dr. Jürgen Popp an honorary doctorate for his excellent achievements and significant scientific contributions. With this recognition, the American institution honored Popp’s long-standing commitment to the research and development of pioneering optical health technologies for improved diagnostics and therapy. The presentation ceremony for the honorary doctorate took place in the USA on May 13, 2023.
 
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Popp has been the scientific director of the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (Leibniz IPHT) in Jena for 17 years. The institute is dedicated to research into novel light-based solutions for medical diagnostics, health, the environment and safety, and promotes the translation of research results into applications in numerous national and international collaborations.
 
The chemist Popp is considered a leading international expert in the field of optical health technologies and biophotonics. He is the author of more than 950 scientific publications, has contributed to more than 240 conference proceedings and is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Biophotonics, which he co-founded. He has now received an honorary doctorate from the University at Albany – State University of New York for his commitment and outstanding research achievements aimed at breaking new ground in the detection and treatment of diseases with innovative light-based tools.
 
With the award, the institution in Albany recognized Popp’s significant contributions to novel biophotonic methods of disease diagnostics based on a synergistic combination of modern spectroscopy and machine learning techniques. A particular research focus of the scientist is the investigation of Raman spectroscopic methods for rapid diagnosis and a targeted therapy of infectious diseases as well as for intraoperative tumor diagnostics. The spectroscopic measurement data obtained in the form of complex molecular fingerprints are reliably analyzed and evaluated using machine learning methods.
 
After the recognition of his academic achievements by the Babes-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca in Romania, whose honorary doctorate Popp received in 2012, this is the second honorary doctorate awarded to Prof. Dr. Jürgen Popp.
 
Transatlantic cooperation
 
With more than 175 years of history, the University at Albany – State University of New York is today a major public research university in the United States, where more than 17,000 students and doctoral students collaborate with top-level faculties to achieve significant research results in a variety of disciplines.
 
Leibniz IPHT in Jena has been collaborating with the University at Albany for several years. The two cooperation partners share common research interests and projects in the field of biophotonics and its various applications such as the diagnosis of infectious diseases or the detection of cancer. Another focus of the collaboration is to promote the scientific exchange of researchers between Germany and the USA as well as to promote young academics.
 
“The award of the honorary doctorate fills me with great pleasure. It underlines the importance of international relations and close cooperation with global partners. This is especially true for globally significant goals for society as a whole, such as faster medical diagnostics or the precise treatment of diseases such as infections. In the future, our two institutions will continue to maintain a close transatlantic exchange, which will significantly advance research on both sides in the field of biophotonics,” said Prof. Dr. Jürgen Popp.