Daniel Palanker Email palanker@stanford.edu
Phone (650) 725-0059
Fax (650) 725-8311
Address Stanford University,
Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory
452 Lomita Mall, room 135
Stanford, CA 94305-4085, USA

Professional Interests

Mechanisms of interaction of electric field and light with biological cells and tissues, and applications of these interactions to medicine and biology:

  • Effects of pulsed electric field on ion channels and cellular membranes
  • Electro-neural interfaces
  • Laser-tissue interactions
  • Plasma-mediated microsurgical technologies
  • Minimally-invasive electro-optical therapeutic technologies
  • Optical imaging and spectroscopy

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Current research projects

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Some of the previous research projects

  • Optical detection of physiological stress (based on light scattering spectroscopy)
  • Plasma-mediated electroporation
  • Pulsed liquid microjet
  • Near-field Infrared Microscopy with:
    • Transient optical elements (using photo-induced reflectivity)
    • Tapered fibers
    • Microfabricated solid-immersion lenses
  • ArF excimer laser-based system for vitreoretinal surgery
  • ArF excimer laser-based system for debridement of the damaged skin
  • Ablation of zona pellucida in oocytes for in-vitro fertilization:
    • Photolysis using the ArF excimer laser-based system
    • Thermolysis using a microheater-based system
  • Laser poration of cellular membrane: parallel permeabilization of millions of cells using an array of microapertures
  • Statistical approach to sub-wavelength measurements using a static array of near-field apertures (This idea later inspired a revolutionary approach to rapid DNA sequencing: SMRT™ technology by Pacific Biosciences Inc.)

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Teaching

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Technology Transfer

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Education

1996 - 1998: Postdoctoral fellowship at Picosecond Free Electron Laser Center, Stanford University, CA, USA
“Photo-induced transient optical elements for near-field IR microscopy”
1989 - 1995: Ph.D. in Physics (summa cum laude), Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. Dissertation Title: "Photoablation of Soft Tissues Using Lensless Optics and its Applications to Medicine and Biology".
1979 - 1984: M.Sc. in Physics, Yerevan State University, USSR.
Thesis: "Scattering of X-rays on Crystals with Various Types of Deformations"

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See full CV