People

Members

Fernando Zvietcovich

Director of Biophotonics and Biomedical Optics Research Group

Fernando Zvietcovich obtained a BSc in Electrical Engineering, MSc in Digital Image and Signal Processing at Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru, and a PhD in Electrical Engineering at University of Rochester, NY, USA. Fernando’s research includes novel wave-based optical coherence elastography methods in soft tissues for the diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of diseases in clinical environ

fzvietcovich@pucp.edu.pe
Fanny Casado

Principal Professor, Researcher, Bioengineering Department Coordinator

Expert in the evaluation of medical, health and biotechnological products. She leads interdisciplinary projects for the implementation of safe technologies for people and the environment from an approach of integration of methodologies for the design, development and validation of drugs, cell therapies and medical devices. She leads the Bioengineering section.

fanny.casado@pucp.edu.pe
Jim Irvin Cormán Hijar

GIBIO manager, teaching and research assistant. SPIE-PUCP SC President

Jim Corman has a bachelor degree in Electronic Engineering at National University of Engineering (UNI) and he is currently studying a master in Biomedical Engineering at PUCP. His thesis is based on the design of nanoparticles loaded with RNA molecules for prostate cancer treatment. He is the manager of GIBIO group. Fields of interests: nanomedicine, optics, photonics and tissue engineering.

jcormanh@pucp.edu.pe

Graduate Students

Etsel Suarez

Graduate student and Research Assistant

Etsel Suarez has a bachelor degree in Mechatronics Engineering at National University of Engineering (UNI) and master degree in Biomedical Engineering at Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP). He is currently a PhD Researcher in Biophotonics and Soft Tissue Mechanical Characterization and he is an associate professor in the academic department of engineering.

etsel.suarez@pucp.edu.pe
Cristian Bocanegra

Graduate student and Research Assistant

Bachelor of Science in Physics, graduated from the National University Pedro Ruiz Gallo (UNPRG), and currently a Master's student in Applied Physics at PUCP. Currently working on the development of the first optical coherence tomography system with elastography in Peru for the early detection of keratoconus and other eye diseases.

c.bocanegra@pucp.edu.pe
Roger Valencia

Graduate student and Research Assistant

Roger Valencia has a bachelor in electronic engineering at Ricardo Palma University. He is a specialist in cloud technology, virtualization, servers and operating systems. He has been director and general manager of technology companies and utilities in the private and public sectors. He is currently working on his thesis of design and implementation of a Swept Source Optical Coherence Tomography

roger.valencia@pucp.edu.pe
Luis Barreto

Graduate student and Research Assistant

Luis Barreto is a Biomedical Engineering graduate student specializing in AI-driven medical imaging. His undergraduate thesis is about using optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography for non-invasive, early diabetic foot ulcer detection. Currently, his master’s research adapts OCT and AI to achieve early sexual differentiation in marine species.

luis.barretoe@pucp.edu.pe
Diego Fernando Segura Contreras

Graduate student and Research Assistant

Diego Segura is a Biomedical Engineering graduate student, currently pursuing a Master's degree in Biomedical Engineering. His thesis and research focus on evaluating oocyte quality and monitoring embryonic development in Amazonian fish using Optical Coherence Tomography.

diego.segura@pucp.edu.pe

Undergraduate Students

Alonso Cifuentes

Undergraduate student and Research Assistant

Alonso Cifuentes is an undergraduate student specializing in Electronics Engineering. He focuses on the application of electronics and applied mathematics in the development of medical technologies. His research centers on the development of non-contact compression OCE, a novel elastography technique that enables quantitative measurement of axial viscoelastic properties in soft tissues.

alonso.cifuentes@pucp.edu.pe
Arelí Sanchez

Undergraduate student and Research Assistant

Arelí Sanchez is an undergraduate student of Biomedical Engineering at the PUCP and the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia. Her thesis is based on the technical and design requirements, and the national and international regulations that govern the clinical translation of an OCT research system with elastography for its use in ophthalmology in a health center.

areli.sanchez@pucp.edu.pe
Carlos Pariona

Undergraduate student and Research Assistant

Carlos Pariona is a biomedical engineering student passionate about research. At the moment, He is working on a project that focuses on the Topographic Evaluation of Ex Vivo Rabbit Corneas by OCT. His main goal is to investigate the topographic impact of Corneal Crosslinking (CXL) in its different variants. With this project, He hopes to contribute to open new perspectives in the treatment of corn

c.pariona@pucp.edu.pe
Gonzalo Povea

Undergraduate student and Research Assistant

Gonzalo Povea is a Biomedical Engineering senior student at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú and Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia. He is an Industrial Design teaching assistant at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú since March 2024. He has completed the Professional Unity VR Development Program at XR Bootcamp, winning a scholarship and training in VR, AR, MR, and XR development.

gonzalo.povea@pucp.edu.pe
Ximena Montoya

Undergraduate student and Research Assistant

Ximena Montoya is an undergraduate senior student of Biomedical engineering at PUCP & UPCH. Currently, she is doing her thesis in the Biophotonics and Biomedical Optics Research Group.

ximena.montoya@pucp.edu.pe
Hector Dair Alegría Cortez

Undergraduate student and Research Assistant

Dair Alegria is an undergraduate senior student of Biomedical engineering at PUCP & UPCH. Currently, he is doing his thesis in the Biophotonics and Biomedical Optics Research Group.

alegriac.h@pucp.edu.pe
Jose Timana

Graduate student and Research Assistant

Jose Timana is a graduate Student Researcher at Ingeniería Biomédica PUCP-UPCH.

jose.timana@pucp.edu.pe
David Villaseca

Undergraduate student and Research Assistant

David Villaseca has been a teaching assistant of Clinical Engineering at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. He also worked as a Medical Affairs Trainee at OM Pharma in 2023 and as a Research Assistant at the Medical Imaging Laboratory at PUCP in 2022-2023. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Biomedical/Medical Engineering from both Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú and Universidad Perua

d.villaseca@pucp.edu.pe
Estéfano Machado

Undergraduate student and Research Assistant

Estéfano Machado is a final-year Electronics Engineering student who specializes on Digital Signal and Image Processing. His research focuses on improving wave-based OCE measurements and estimations for the biomechanical characterization of the cornea.

estefano.machado@pucp.edu.pe
Sergio Herrera

Undergraduate student and Research Assistant

Sergio Herrera is a final-year Biomedical Engineering student conducting his thesis research at the intersection of medical imaging and aquaculture. His work focuses on the evaluation of oocyte and embryonic quality in Amazonian fish species through the application of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), aiming to develop tools that support sustainable aquaculture practices.

sergio.herrera@pucp.edu.pe