Driven by curiosity. Driving changeBiography
Dr George Gordon is an Assistant Professor in Sensor Technologies in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at the University of Cambridge. He received his PhD in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Cambridge in 2013, where his research focused on wireless and optical-fibre telecommunications. He joined the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology in 2026.
Dr Gordon’s research combines optical and photonic sensor technologies with computational imaging and artificial intelligence. In particular, he develops hair-thin optical endoscopes, fibre-optic sensors and compact quantitative imaging systems for detecting disease in parts of the body that are difficult to access using conventional technologies. His work spans the complete sensing pipeline: engineered optical materials and devices; acquisition and calibration hardware; computational reconstruction and machine-learning methods; and translation into clinically deployable systems.
Research interests
Optical and photonic sensors
Fibre-optic and endoscopic imaging
Computational imaging and inverse problems
Artificial intelligence and machine learning for sensor data
Meta-optics, metasurfaces and diffractive optical devices
Spectral, phase and polarisation imaging
Biomedical imaging and clinical translation
Early detection of cancer and other diseases
Dr Gordon’s group develops intelligent optical sensing and imaging technologies for healthcare, biotechnology and other challenging environments.
Awards and achievements
ElectroOptics Photonics100, 2024
UK Research and Innovation Future Leaders Fellowship, awarded 2021 and renewed in 2025
Medical Research Council Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme award, 2025, as Principal Investigator of the U-SAS ultra-thin endoscope programme
Cancer Research UK Early Detection and Diagnosis Innovation Sandpit Award, 2021
CRUK Pioneer Award 2017
SET for Britain Bronze Award, Parliamentary and Scientific Committee, 2013
Henslow Research Fellowship 2013
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Teaching and supervision
Dr Gordon leads the MRes in Sensor Technologies and Applications, as well as delivering a new Masters-level module on AI and Machine Learning for Data Pipelines. His teaching and supervision interests include sensor technologies, artificial intelligence and data analysis, optics and photonics, computational imaging and biomedical engineering. He has designed and delivered university modules on artificial intelligence and intelligent systems and on applications of AI in engineering. He has also developed and delivered AI training for postgraduate researchers and supervised undergraduate, master’s and doctoral research projects.
