Sarder Lab

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We develop novel computational methods to study and understand tissue micro-anatomy using multi-omics data.  Our method has implications in clinical diagnostics, and also allows studying fundamentals of biological systems.  Currently, our major focus involves studying diabetic kidney disease in human system.

Last update: December 22, 2021

Postdoctoral Associate position available: Job description. Apply here.

Research Scientist position available: Job description. Apply here.

Latest news: We published our work on computational classification of diabetic nephropathy in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).  All the codes and images used for evaluation are made available for the community.

We published our work on automated computational detection of interstitial fibrosis, tubular atrophy, and glomerulosclerosis in JASN.  All the codes, images and trained models used for evaluation are made available for the community.

We published our work on automated detection and quantification of podocytes from renal tissue whole slide images (WSIs) in JASN.  The article made the cover of the JASN November 2021 issue.  All the codes, WSIs, trained models, video tutorial, as well as a docker image to set a user friendly cloud instance of the tool are made available for the community.

We made available for the community our cloud-based instance for digital pahology WSI visualization, automated segmentation, and error correction for training a semantic segmentation model.  We made available the source code, docker image, and a video overview for the community.

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Pinaki Sarder

An imaging scientist, Pinaki Sarder, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor (with tenure) of the Departments of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences (primary) and Biomedical Engineering (adjunct) at University at Buffalo (UB).  Dr.  Sarder has nearly 18 years of experience in biomedical image analysis.  He has also worked in biomedical imaging and instrumentation during his post-doctoral training at Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology.  His current work combines tools from statistical detection & estimation theory, image processing, machine learning, as well as imaging.  Dr. Sarder's research group collaborates with researchers from multiple disciplines, including histology, medicine, microscopy, imaging, omics, image analysis, computational analysis, artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, software engineering, biostatistics, and ontology.  Dr. Sarder's current multi-disciplinary works take advantage of his vast experience to bring together accurate tools for successfully executing the multidisciplinary goals of his research laboratory.

Academic Positions

  • Present 2021

    Associate Professor (with tenure)

    University at Buffalo, Pathology & Anatomical Sciences and Biomedical Engineering

  • 2021 2015

    Assistant Professor

    University at Buffalo, Pathology & Anatomical Sciences and Biomedical Engineering

Education & Training

  • Postdoctoral Fellow 2011-15

    Postdoctoral training in Optical Radiology at Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology

    Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

  • Research Fellow 2010-11

    Research fellowship in Biostatistics

    Harvard University School of Public Health

  • Ph.D. 2003-10

    Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical & Systems Engineering

    Washington University in St. Louis

  • M.Sc.2010

    Master of Science in Electrical & Systems Engineering

    Washington University in St. Louis

  • B.Tech.1999-03

    Bachelor of Technology in Electrical Engineering

    Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur

Honors & Awards

  • September 23-26, 2021
    Senior Author of the abstract "Automatic segmentation of arteries, arterioles, and glomeruli in renal biopsies with thrombotic microangiopathies," which was selected for the best abstract award in the Annual Meeting of the German Society of Nephrology at Rostock, Germany.
    Congratulations to student Brendon Lutnick who was the first author of the abstract.
  • 2021
    Senior & Corresponding Author of the article "PodoSighter: A cloud-based tool for label-free podocyte detection in kidney whole slide images," which was selected for the cover of the November 2021 issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology in 2021.
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    Congratulations to student Darshana who was the first author of this work.
  • March 14, 2021
    Senior & Corresponding Author of the abstracts: (i) "Prognostic glomerular morphometric phenotype discovery via clustering across large datasets" and (ii) "Urinary proteomics data guides AI to discover new digital biomarkers for diabetic nephropathy classification," which were selected by the Renal Pathology Society as two out of the three best abstracts for 2020-21.
    Congratulations to first authors Brandon Ginley and Nicholas Lucarelli.
  • February 19, 2020
    Senior & Corresponding Author of the abstract "Probabilistic modeling of diabetic nephropathy progression" which was selected as one of the two runner-ups for the Best Poster award in SPIE Digital Pathology 2020 at Houston, Texas.
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    Congratulations to student Sam Border who was the first author of the poster.
  • 2019
    Senior & Corresponding Author of the article "Computational segmentation and classifcation of diabetic glomerulosclerosis" which was selected for the Best of American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Journals: Clinical Journal of ASN (CJASN) & JASN in 2019.
  • 2018
    Received University at Buffalo's Exceptional Scholars - Young Investigator Award
    The University at Buffalo's Exceptional Scholar Award for Young Investigators celebrates a recent superior achievement of a scholar in his/her field of study.  Such an achievement will have distinguished the recipient as an up-and-coming scholar, as well as earned the individual acclaim for his/her work, which could be a published work or other scholastic or artistic endeavor.  See details on this award here.
  • 2007
    Imaging Sciences Pathway program Graduate Student Fellowship Award at Washington University in St. Louis
    The Imaging Sciences Pathway is awarded to selected students in graduate programs in the Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Chemistry, Physics, and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL).  With over 40 mentors from 14 departments at WUSTL, the Pathway offers diverse, multidisciplinary opportunities.  Graduate students who complete training in the Imaging Sciences Pathway are poised to follow a unique career trajectory, which may involve imaging technology development, the chemistry and use of novel contrast agents, the visualization and manipulation of macromolecular complexes and organelles in cells and in animals, and the application of these technologies to the visualization of human disease states.  Awards in 2007 were supported by National Institute of Health under the training program titled as "21st-Century Imaging Sciences: Undergraduate and Graduate Student Training" (Project Number: T90DA022871).

Service Activities

  • 2021
    Member, Organizing Committee, AI in Nephropathology Workshop Amsterdam 2021, Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • 2020-Present
    Member, Program Committee, SPIE Medical Imaging - Digital & Computational Pathology
  • November 7, 2019
    Moderator, Session: Computational Image Analysis: Shaping the Future of Nephropathology, The American Society of Nephrology's The Kidney Week 2019, Washington, D.C., USA
  • 2015-Present
    Diversity and Inclusion Advocate, Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo
    Serves as liaison for the department to the Office of Inclusion and Cultural Enhancement, assists in developing strategies to promote the value of diversity and inclusion, provides support for search committees in applying best practices for attracting and developing an excellent and diverse faculty, and participates in outreach programs.