Skip to main content
Unit of study_

BMET5959: Introduction to Biophotonics

2025 unit information

Biophotonics is rapidly evolving multidisciplinary field using optics and photonics to reveal biological mechanisms and develop new light-based technologies for medical diagnosis and therapeutic treatment of diseases, including sensors. The intrinsic sensitivity of biological tissues to light because of elastic and inelastic interactions, combined with the development of the laser, optical components and sophisticated detector have accelerated the development of the field of biophotonics. Understanding the interaction of light with biological molecules, cells and tissues has the potential to develop next-generation novel diagnosis and non-invasive therapies for a range of diseases. The objective of this unit is to provide students with knowledge to understand and learn the fundamentals of light interaction with biological species, the preclinical and clinical applications of biomedical optical diagnosis, therapies and sensing and the instrumentation.

Unit details and rules

Managing faculty or University school:

Engineering

Study level Postgraduate
Academic unit Biomedical Engineering
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
? 
None
Corequisites:
? 
None
Prohibitions:
? 
None
Assumed knowledge:
? 
[BMET2903 or BMET9903] and [ELEC1103 or ELEC2100 or BMET2902]

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. Engineering/ IT Specialisation (Level 3) A) Discuss the current state and recent developments in the field of biophotonics; B) Apply and integrate engineering principles to biophotonics
  • LO2. Problem Solving and Inventiveness (Level 3) A) Evaluate and assess the current challenges in biophotonics; B) Create novel biophotonics-based solutions to address current unmet clinical/research needs or to address limitations of current solutions
  • LO3. Design (Level 3) A) Formulate new designs for nano/micro devices to address unmet needs in the biomedical sector; B) Devise solutions taking financial and technical feasibility, as well as clinical considerations into account when designing solutions
  • LO4. Interdisciplinary, Inclusiveness, Influence (Level 3) A) Appreciate and recognize the interdisciplinary nature of the field of biophotonics, whereby concepts from a wide range of areas including materials science, human biology, chemistry and physics are brought together.
  • LO5. Communication and Inquiry/ Research (Level 2) A) Employ techniques for effective oral and written communication of the concepts and knowledge underlining the background science and engineering applications of biophotonics; B) Identify, obtain, and analyze information using appropriate search strategies to gain in-depth knowledge and current advances in devices used in biophotonics.
  • LO6. Professional Effectiveness and Ethical Conduct (Level 2) A) Employ professional techniques and activities such as assigning tasks, managing time, meeting deadlines, and communicating with their colleagues in a professional manner.

Unit availability

This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.

The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.

Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2024
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2025
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Outline unavailable
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2023
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Find your current year census dates

Modes of attendance (MoA)

This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.