Jake Bewick

Jake Bewick

Laser Optics Research Engineer

Bristol, UK

About Me

I’m Jake Bewick, a laser optics research engineer. I specialise in modelling how light propagates through complex environments to solve practical engineering problems.

At MBDA UK, I lead a team developing wave-optics simulation tools. My background spans atmospheric propagation, wavefront shaping and biomedical optics.

Download CV

Interests

  • Computational optics and wave propagation
  • Atmospheric turbulence and coherent light
  • Numerical modelling and simulation
  • Experimental optics
  • Scientific software and data analysis

Experience

MBDA UK · Bristol, UK

  1. Principal Laser Optics Research Engineer

    – Present

    • Lead a team developing MATLAB/Simulink wave-optics propagation models for coherent illumination and laser directed energy applications.
    • Conceive, design and manage the development of a laser safety beacon system for field trials.
    • Present technical work and findings to external stakeholders, including government customers.
    • Engage with industry partners and serve as industrial supervisor for a research project investigating light-propagation modelling.

  2. Senior Laser Optics Research Engineer

    –

    • Led development of a MATLAB/Simulink wave-optics propagation simulator for coherent illumination and laser directed energy applications.
    • Generated synthetic image and sensor data to support image processing and algorithm development.
    • Reviewed coherent beam combining and atmospheric tip/tilt compensation research to inform system architectures.
    • Built internal tools for document processing and citation management on restricted systems.

Education

  1. PhD - Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering

    University College London
    A rigorous computational framework for investigating the transmission and focusing of light in biological tissue via photo-acoustic wavefront shaping.
    Supervised by Dr James Guggenheim.
    Read Thesis

  2. MRes - Medical Imaging

    University College London
    First Class Honours
    Unscrambling light scattering to enable deep tissue optical imaging a computational investigation.
    Supervised by Dr James Guggenheim.
    Read Thesis

  3. MSci - Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering

    University College London
    First Class Honours, Dean’s List, Graduated Top of the Class
    Analytical and numerical modelling of osmotically induced deformation in a spherical cell.
    Supervised by Professor Yiannis Ventikos.
    Read Thesis

  4. BEng - Biomedical Engineering

    Queen Mary University of London
    First Class Honours
    Mathematical and numerical modelling of buckling in a spherical cell due to an osmotic shock.
    Supervised by Dr Lorenzo Botto.
    Read Thesis

Featured Publications

Simulating optical memory effects and the scanning of foci using wavefront shaping in tissue-like scattering media

Simulating optical memory effects and the scanning of foci using wavefront shaping in tissue-like scattering media

Wavefront shaping could enable focussing light deep inside scattering media, increasing the depth and resolution of imaging techniques like optical microscopy and optical coherence tomography. However, factors like rapid decorrelation times due to microscale motion and thermal variation make focusing in living tissue difficult. A way to ease the requirements could be exploiting prior information provided by memory effects. For example, this might allow partially or wholly scanning a focus. To study this and related ideas, a computational model was developed to simulate the generation and correlations of foci formed by WFS in scattering media. Predictions of the angular memory range were consistent with experimental observations. Furthermore, correlations observed between optical phase maps required to focus at different positions suggested correlation-based priors might enable accelerated focussing. This work could pave the way to faster optical focussing and thus deeper imaging in living tissue.

Full-wave simulation of focusing light through scattering layers using the T-matrix method
A computational framework for investigating the feasibility of focusing light in biological tissue via photoacoustic wavefront shaping

A computational framework for investigating the feasibility of focusing light in biological tissue via photoacoustic wavefront shaping

Photoacoustic (PA) wavefront shaping (WFS; PAWS) could allow focusing light deep in living tissue, increasing the penetration depth of biomedical optics techniques. PAWS experiments have demonstrated focusing light through rigid scattering media. However, focusing deep in tissue is significantly more challenging. To examine the scale of this challenge, a computational model of the propagation of coherent light in tissue was developed to simulate the focusing of light via PAWS. To demonstrate the model, it was used to simulate focusing in an 800 µm thick tissue-like medium. To show the utility of the model, the focusing was repeated in different conditions illustrative of simplified PAWS experiments involving different spatial resolutions. As expected, a finer spatial resolution led to a brighter focus. By providing a simulation platform for studying PAWS, this work could pave the way to developing systems that can focus light in tissue.

Efficient full-wave simulation of wavefront shaping to focus light through biological tissue

Featured Projects

Modelling the Relationship Between Structural and Functional Connectomes
Multiple Anatomical Structure Recognition in Fetal Ultrasound Images
Bone Implant Design

Awards

Photonics West Conference Support

SPIE and MKS Instruments ∙ November 2022

Biomaterials Medal

Worshipful Company of Armourers & Brasiers ∙ November 2019

Dean’s List

UCL Mechanical Engineering ∙ November 2019

i4health CDT

UK Research and Innovation ∙ September 2019

Best 3rd Year Project

Queen Mary University of London ∙ November 2018

Contact

You can reach me via the following methods: