Raymond Dunn wins the 2026 Mightex Research Excellence Competition!

As part of his PhD work, Ray built an all-optical, closed-loop, whole-brain-imaging system to interrogate the brain of the nematode C. elegans, discovering fundamental biology about how nervous systems remember. He used a Mightex digital micromirror device (DMD) to spatially target optogenetic stimulation of individual neurons, under the control of his CLEF closed-loop integration software platform.

As a result, Mightex awarded him first place in their annual research competition. It came with a cash gift and a physical trophy (booya!). Congrats Ray... keep on steering those photons!