Prof. Dr. Jakub M. Surmacki

Dr. hab. Jakub Surmacki is a professor at the Lodz University of Technology. His research focuses on the early detection of cancer using advanced optical methods in micro and nanoscale: Raman/FTIR/fluorescence/nanoIR spectroscopy and imaging, AFM, SNOM. His key areas of investigation include: identifying Raman markers for neoplastic lesions in human breast, brain, and lung tissues; analyzing the impact of photosensitizers on the vibrational spectra of ex-vivo tissues, particularly in the context of photodynamic therapy, which uses sensitizers to destroy cancerous tissue; detecting trace concentrations of organic substances (down to single molecules) by enhancing the Raman scattering signal through the use of nano-metallic particles; synthesizing silver nanoparticles via chemical reduction; studying and comparing normal and cancerous cell lines. In 2009, Dr hab. Surmacki participated in the Erasmus Intensive Programme "Ultra Short and Intense Laser Technology and Metrology," organized by Bordeaux University. He received an honorable mention for his doctoral thesis in 2012 and has been awarded multiple Rector's Awards at Lodz University of Technology. Dr hab. Surmacki was a recipient of the Foundation for Polish Science’s START Scholarship for Young Scientists and the TUL’s Own Scholarship Fund. He also completed over two years of postdoctoral research at the University of Cambridge, where he worked with Prof. Sarah Bohndiek in the Cavendsh Laboratory and Cancer Research UK.