Jiarong Hong Named Distinguished McKnight University Professor

Professor Jiarong Hong has been named a Distinguished McKnight University Professor, an honor that recognizes outstanding faculty members who have recently achieved the rank of full professor. Recipients hold the title for the duration of their employment at the University of Minnesota.

Since joining the University of Minnesota, Hong has established a world-leading research program in digital inline holography (DIH) and imaging-based measurement science. Digital inline holography enables three-dimensional tracking of particles in flow, allowing researchers to simultaneously characterize particle behavior—whether solid particles, droplets, organisms, or larger objects—and the surrounding flow field with high spatial and temporal resolution.

Hong has advanced DIH and holographic microscopy into practical, high-throughput, and high-fidelity 3D measurement platforms. His work spans a wide range of applications, from tracking burning embers in wildfires to detecting cancer cells, demonstrating the versatility and impact of imaging-based measurement science across environmental, engineering, and biomedical systems.