Richard C. Prince, PhD

I’m Richard C. Prince, an Assistant Professor and Biomedical Engineering Technology Coordinator at East Tennessee State University. I lead the Laboratory for Advanced Microscopy and Bioengineering (The LAMB), where we develop optical tools and apply them to questions in biology, medicine, and engineering — often all at once.

I completed my PhD in Biophotonics at UC Irvine under Professor Eric Potma, supported by an NSF IGERT fellowship, and spent time in strategy consulting before joining ETSU. That mix of deep technical work and cross-disciplinary problem solving shapes how the lab approaches science.

Research

Our work falls into three interconnected areas:

• Vibrational microscopy — developing novel SRS and Raman-based methods to study microbial and mycological systems, including oleaginous yeasts relevant to biomanufacturing
• Nonlinear imaging of disease — using nonlinear optical techniques to investigate how disease reshapes tissue at the molecular level, from lipid metabolism in cartilage to cardiac tissue recovery
• Open-source biomanufacturing — designing open-hardware instruments and curricula to make precision bioengineering more accessible, particularly for the Appalachian region

We’ve secured over $1.3M in grants to support workforce development in biomanufacturing, and we’re always interested in collaborations that bridge the lab bench and real-world impact.

Get in touch

If you’re a student interested in joining the lab, a collaborator with a problem that needs a new imaging angle, or just curious about the work — reach out at princerc@etsu.edu.