Emma MacPherson's Terahertz Research Group
Research areas
Our research focusses on:
Terahertz medical imaging and spectroscopy
- In vivo skin imaging
- Characterisation of skin conditions
- Evaluation of skin products
Instrumentation
- Novel techniques to speed up terahertz acquisition
- THz ellipsometry
- Robotic THz probe development
Terahertz optical devices
- Spatial light modulation
- Efficient low-cost polarizers
- 3D printed devices
Algorithms
- Use of genetical algorithms for improved classification
- Modelling of human skin
- Compressive sensing
Updates and events
Skin cancer detection using THz waves on BBC 1 West Midlands news
BBC Midlands Today visited Emma MacPherson's lab to see how they have created a robot arm to detect skin cancer using Terahertz waves.
Short reportLink opens in a new window, TV recordingLink opens in a new window
THz Skinometer on Int'l Sky News
Sky News reports on the first skin cancer patient measurements using the THz skinometer at UHCW:
John Cunningham news
John Cunningham starts as Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on THz Science and Technology from September 2025.
He is also General Co-chair again in 2026 for European Microwave Week, to be held in London. Here is John in Ultrecht with the London 2026 team:
STORM Lab UK Announces Development of Miniature Rolling Robot for Virtual Biopsies
A tiny magnetic robot which can take 3D scans from deep within the body and could revolutionise early cancer detection, has been developed by researchers including Pietro Valdastri.
