Darren Freeman

Darren Freeman was born in Adelaide in 1981, where he studied for his bachelors' degree in electronics engineering at the Flinders University. He graduated in 2003 with first class Honours and a University Medal. His Honours project was in image compression and chip design, and he was also briefly employed in the fields of industrial automation and embedded systems development.

After completing his degree, Darren moved to Canberra to undertake a PhD in physics at the Australian National University, receiving the prestigious Malcolm McIntosh scholarship as the highest ranking applicant in his field. He worked in the Laser Physics Centre, in the field of nanophotonics - the manufacture of microscopic structures that manipulate light, which might one day enable the creation of all-optical processors for telecommunications and information technology.

In January 2008, Darren became involved in research into photodynamic therapy (PDT), a medical procedure in which light is used to activate a photosensitising drug to selectively kill cancer, bacteria, viruses, or other disease-causing cells. He is presently developing medical laser equipment in Melbourne and raising awareness of this promising technology. His immediate goals are to initiate clinical trials of PDT, and to find doctors willing to use the technique to treat humans who can't wait for regulatory approval.