The premise is really simple: each episode the fantastic hosts Tim and Giannis invite one senior academic guest to discuss their favourite publication from the recent literature.
Pour yourself a nice glass of wine (we always record late in the evening) and join us as we delve into recent literature, and perhaps learn a little from the minds that have shaped the field.
We’ll find out what caught their eye, and why it is worth taking a closer look at this particular publication. Along the way, we will learn about their publication strategies and possibly even glimpse into the future of this amazing field of research.
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New episode is out 
Episode #18: Metin Sitti, Istanbul
In this edition, we are delighted to introduce a pioneer in the field of bio-inspired miniature robots: Metin Sitti.
🎙️Tune in to hear from an inspirational figure and explore how medical devices – whether implanted or intravenously administered – are set to transform the world we live in.
A recurring theme across many of our episodes is the importance of working in a curious and inspiring environment, and much of Metin’s inspiration came from his time at UC Berkeley. Now the President of Koç University in Turkey, he takes us on a journey through his career and shares his passion for improving health outcomes using miniature robots.
Metin works at the intersection of science, engineering, and technology through the creation of small-scale robotic and intelligent systems. These robots are being developed at a scale that allows them to be administered into the bloodstream and externally controlled to navigate hard-to-reach regions inside the body. His vision is that these innovations will open a new frontier in medical diagnosis and treatment.
In this episode, we discuss the development of a small bioadhesive ultrasound device for continuous monitoring over 48 hours. Published in Science from the lab of Xuanhe Zhao, the study describes the challenges overcome in developing such a device and its application in humans – including monitoring blood vessels, the lungs, heart, and stomach. Together, we explore the crucial role of materials science in creating this technology, raise philosophical questions about whether continual monitoring is desirable, and consider how this remarkable system could be improved in the future.
About the Guest
Since 2003, Professor Metin Sitti has been the President of Koç University in Istanbul, Turkey. Prior to that, he served as the Director of the Physical Intelligence Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart, which he founded in 2014. He received his BSc and MSc degrees in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Boğaziçi University in Istanbul, and his PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tokyo in 1999.
Metin was previously a Research Scientist at UC Berkeley and a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. He received the “Breakthrough of the Year” Award in the Engineering and Technology category at the 2020 Falling Walls World Science Summit, as well as an Advanced ERC Grant. His research has been featured in major international media outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Le Monde, The Economist, Der Spiegel, Forbes, and MIT Technology Review.
Read more about his work at Google scholar.
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About the Hosts
Tim Witney is a Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow and Reader in Molecular Imaging at King’s College London’s School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences. His Group’s research focuses on the development of next-generation imaging tools for cancer diagnosis, monitoring of therapeutic response, and detection of drug resistance. Tim has been serving as member of the ESMI Board since 2018, he served as its Secretary from 2023 to 2025, and was elected as Vice President in 2025.
Giannis Zacharakis is a Principal Researcher at the Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser – Foundation for Research and Technology (FORTH – IESL) in Heraklion, Crete and the Head of the Laboratory for Biophotonics and Molecular Imaging. Giannis was elected as ESMI Vice President in 2018 and served as President from 2019 to 2020.
About the music
- Andreas Jacobs – violin
- Jacob Niller – accordion
- Wolfgang Platen – contrabass
All of you who attended the EMIM 2021 in Göttingen certainly remember Andreas – one of the society’s founding fathers and past presidents – on stage playing the violin. Together with two young, talented musicians, he recorded Olecht Konflytt* again for the special occassion of becoming the “Dive into Imaging Science” theme – we could not be more grateful!
*composer: Guido Jäger “Olecht Konflytt”
LATEST Edition | October/2025
Guest: Metin Sitti, Istanbul
Selected Publication:
All Guests & Editions
- #18: Metin Sitti, Istanbul
- #17: Rodney Hicks, Melbourne
- #16: Markita del Carpio Landry, UC Berkeley
- #15: Vasilis Ntziachristos, Munich
- #14: Peter J.H. Scott, Ann Arbor
- #13: Fabian Kiessling, Aachen
- #12: Elisa Konofagou, New York
- #11: John Ronald, London ON
- #10: Kevin Brindle, Cambridge
- #9: Mikhail Shapiro, Pasadena
- #8: Jason Lewis, New York
- #7: Annemie Van Der Linden, Antwerp
- #6: Elisabeth de Vries, Groningen
- #5: Bernd Pichler, Tübingen
- #4: Zaver Bhujwalla, Baltimore
- #3: Clemens WGM Lowik, Rotterdam
- #2: Simon Cherry, UC Davis
- #1: Jolanda de Vries, Nijmegen
- #0: Bertrand Tavitian, Paris