Dr Alex Dudgeon

I am a research fellow in the Biomedical Spectroscopy Team in the Biophysics Group working with Prof Nick Stone at The University of Exeter. My current work on the is on the Raman needle project which is seeking to diagnose lymphomas with a fibre-optic needle on the “DOLPHIN-VIVO: Diagnosis Of LymPHoma IN VIVO” project. I am also working on a similar endoscopic Raman probe for oesophageal cancer diagnosis, the “RAPIDE: Raman Probe for In-vivo Diagnostics (during oesophageal) Endoscopy” project:

For my PhD at Durham University in Professor Colin Bain’s group, I designed and built a total-internal reflection Raman spectrometer. This technique utilises the evanescent field produced during total-internal reflection to excite molecules close to the interface. I investigated the adsorption of surfactants to the liquid-solid interface and focused on the kinetics of adsorption, obtaining isotherms and forming mono/bi-layers of various ionic and nonionic surfactants on surfaces including polyester and zeolite. A major part of the project was the design and construction of the spectrometer.

Additionally in the group, my research MSc investigated the processes by which water and surfactant solutions penetrate glass capillaries. Theoretical models (The Lucas-Washburn model, a “Young” model and an overflowing-cylinder model) were compared with our experimental data and the models were shown to be unable to account for the observed penetration rates. Instead, we considered the additional dissipation in the wedge of liquid near the three-phase contact line.