Rate My Professor Silas Leavesley

Silas J. Leavesley, Ph.D., is Professor and Interim Chair of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of South Alabama, where he has served since 2008. He began as an Instructor, advanced to Assistant Professor from 2008 to 2014, Associate Professor from 2014 to 2017, and Professor since 2017. Leavesley also holds positions as Adjunct Professor in Pharmacology, Member of the Center for Lung Biology, and CEO of SpectraCyte, LLC. He earned his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Purdue University in 2008, with a dissertation titled "Design and implementation of a calibrated hyperspectral imager: Practical and theoretical aspects of system optimization." He received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Florida State University in 2003, graduating cum laude with Honors in the Major. Earlier roles include Graduate Teaching Assistant and IGERT Fellow at Purdue University.

Leavesley's research focuses on developing and applying optical imaging and illumination technologies for biomedical and clinical imaging and detection. Specific interests include hyperspectral imaging and analysis methods for microscopy, endoscopy, small-animal fluorescence imaging, spectral image analysis techniques, and novel endoscopic techniques. Current efforts emphasize translating hyperspectral imaging to real-time clinical diagnostic devices with improved detection sensitivity, specificity, and low cost. He has co-authored numerous publications, including "Hyperspectral imaging microscopy for identification and quantitative analysis of fluorescently-labeled cells in highly autofluorescent tissue" (Journal of Biophotonics, 2012), "Overcoming limitations of FRET measurements" (Cytometry Part A, 2016), "Excitation-scanning hyperspectral imaging microscope" (Journal of Biomedical Optics, 2014), and recent works on cAMP signaling and fluorescence excitation-scanning spectral imaging. Leavesley holds patents such as an endoscopic imaging device (US 8251896 B2). His achievements include Phi Kappa Phi Scholar of the Year (2019), Olivia Rambo McGlothren Outstanding Scholar Award (2019), Mortar Board Top Prof (2013, 2016, 2017), Excellence in Research Award from the College of Engineering (2015), and Senior Member of SPIE (2016). He has obtained funding from NSF, NIH, and other agencies for advanced imaging projects.