Diana is working to miniaturize a form of microscopy called optical coherenece tomography (OCT), an imaging test used in many clinical applications today that provides high-resolution images of tissue. Put on a silicon photonic chip and fitted into a medical device, the technology could be used to collect real-time images of a patient. It could also bypass the traditional surgery-to-lab-to-pathologist workflow, dramatically cutting down on time and cost.

Through the Kavanaugh Fellowship, she is developing the technology itself while working to explore commercialization—learning how to turn a potential solution to a specific problem into a whole company by building a team and cultivating relationships with stakeholders.