This PhD project advances fluorescence-lifetime optical electrophysiology (FLOE), a novel imaging technique using SPAD cameras to capture voltage and calcium dynamics in live, contracting heart cells. Unlike conventional methods, FLOE provides motion-robust, calibrated insights into cellular physiology without invasive procedures or pharmacological uncouplers.

Building on recent breakthroughs using a 500×500 SPAD array, the project will:

• Develop hybrid instrumentation combining SPAD-based lifetime imaging with photomultiplier tube photometry for kilohertz-rate acquisition and picosecond timing.
• Enhance computational methods for noise reduction and lifetime estimation.
• Apply the technology to study excitation-contraction coupling in iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes and ex-vivo rabbit heart tissue, capturing absolute action potential and calcium transient dynamics.
• Collaborate with Clyde Biosciences to translate findings into cardiotoxicity screening tools with strong relevance to drug discovery and regenerative medicine.

The student will gain expertise in ultrafast optics, advanced imaging, and quantitative physiology, contributing to a paradigm shift in how excitable biological systems are studied in their native, contractile state. Broader applications include neuroscience, organoid research, and mechanobiology.