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Roarke Horstmeyer

Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Biomedical Engineering
Box 90281, Durham, NC 27708-0548
Fitzpatrick Center (CIEMAS) Room 2569, 101 Science Drive, Durham, NC 27701

Overview


Roarke Horstmeyer is an assistant professor within Duke's Biomedical Engineering Department. He develops microscopes, cameras and computer algorithms for a wide range of applications, from forming 3D reconstructions of organisms to detecting neural activity deep within tissue. His areas of interest include optics, signal processing, optimization and neuroscience. Most recently, Dr. Horstmeyer was a guest professor at the University of Erlangen in Germany and an Einstein postdoctoral fellow at Charitè Medical School in Berlin. Prior to his time in Germany, Dr. Horstmeyer earned a PhD from Caltech’s electrical engineering department in 2016, a master of science degree from the MIT Media Lab in 2011, and a bachelors degree in physics and Japanese from Duke University in 2006.

Office Hours


Office hours for Fall 2020 - Spring 2021:

Wednesdays 10-11:30am 
Thursdays 10am - 11:30am

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering · 2018 - Present Biomedical Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering
Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering · 2018 - Present Electrical and Computer Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering
Faculty Network Member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences · 2018 - Present Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, University Institutes and Centers

In the News


Published October 30, 2024
Is Social Media Friend or Foe for Faculty? Or Both?
Published January 30, 2024
A Marriage of AI and Photonics to Advance Imaging, Health Care and Public Safety
Published December 14, 2022
Invented at Duke Connects University's Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Communities

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Recent Publications


Autocorrelation Bias in Diffuse Correlation Spectroscopy Observable via SPAD Arrays

Journal Article IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics · July 1, 2026 Diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) is an emerging optical technique for non-invasive cerebral blood flow monitoring. Extraction of the DCS blood flow index typically involves calculating the temporal autocorrelation of the measured light intensity and ... Full text Cite

Semi-supervised virtual staining using learned-illumination Fourier ptychography for high-speed label-free histopathology

Journal Article Jphys Photonics · March 1, 2026 Virtual staining techniques enable the digital transformation of label-free images into clinically standardized stained images. However, the high costs and time involved in generating labeled datasets for training, combined with the absence of accelerated ... Full text Cite

Ptychography at all wavelengths

Journal Article Nature Reviews Methods Primers · December 1, 2025 Ptychography is a computational imaging technique that operates across multiple wavelength regimes, from electron (picometres) to X-ray (~0.1 nm), extreme ultraviolet (~10 nm) and visible light (micrometres). By reconstructing both amplitude and phase from ... Full text Cite
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Recent Grants


Mapping p53 dynamics to cell-fate outcomes in reprogramming and oncogenesis

ResearchCo-Mentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2025 - 2029

Academic/Industry Partnership for Next-Generation Robotically Guided Intraoperative Ophthalmic OCT

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2025 - 2029

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Education, Training & Certifications


California Institute of Technology · 2016 Ph.D.
Duke University · 2006 B.S.