Rohit Bhargava

Phillip and Ann Sharp Director, Cancer Center at Illinois

Grainger Distinguished Chair in Engineering

Areas of Research

3D Imaging, 3D Printing, Artificial Intelligence, Bioengineering, Biomedical Imaging Technology, Breast Cancer, Cancer Diagnostics, Cancer Imaging, Cancer Survivors, Cancer Therapies, Colon/Colorectal Cancer, Data Mining, Disease Prevention and Control, Imaging, Machine Learning, Nanoparticles, Nanotechnology, Prostate Cancer, Tumor Microenvironment, Ultrasound

Research Program and Theme

Program: Cancer Technology and Data Science
Theme: Cancer Imaging

Research Focus

Rohit Bhargava, CCIL Director, has pioneered the development of infrared spectroscopic imaging, starting from his doctoral thesis, which was the first in this field. Bhargava has developed several new capabilities in IR instrumentation, introduced new methods for analyzing spectral data, and developed high-throughput methods for pathology. Bhargava runs the Chemical Imaging and Structures Laboratory. His research team has performed large-scale studies on prostate, breast, colon, brain, and skin tissue samples. His lab has also focused on fundamental science by developing optical theory for spectroscopy. It has developed cell culture methods for 3D tumor-mimicking systems, including a 3D printer to produce biomedical scaffolds and engineering cancer models. Instruments developed in his laboratory provide new means to characterize and define cancer via chemical imaging, thereby emerging the field of digital molecular pathology. Learn more about Rohit Bhargava’s lab.