The group's activities are directed towards the development of a new method of non-invasive biomedical imaging based upon the use of laser-generated acoustic waves for visualising the structure and function of soft tissues. Potential applications include the clinical assessment of breast cancer, cardiovascular disease and skin abnormalities. The technique also has important applications as a research tool in the basic life sciences. Our current research encompasses the full range of activities in photoacoustic methods: photoacoustic detection and excitation instrumentation, modelling of photoacoustic signals, image reconstruction algorithms, spectroscopic methods and the application of the technique in the clinical and life sciences.