Mount Sinai Light and Health Research Center moves to new home

After a busy year of preparation, the Light and Health Research Center (LHRC) at Mount Sinai has accomplished its transition from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) to the Icahn School of Medicine’s Department of Population Health Science and Policy.

“Everyone at Mount Sinai has been wonderful during the transition,” said LHRC Director Mariana Figueiro, PhD, who is also a Professor of Population Health Science and Policy. “It was no small task to hire and equip our entire research team in a matter of months, all the while helping us to adapt to new administrative systems and keep our brisk schedule of outreach education, research projects, and proposal submissions on track,” Dr. Figueiro added.

The big move began in January 2021, when the first wave of former RPI personnel joined Dr. Figueiro at Mount Sinai, concluding with the onboarding of the remaining staff in the final week of June. The transition also involved what could have been a daunting physical move from the team’s former home in downtown Troy, New York, to the LHRC’s newly designed 16,000 square foot laboratory, workshop, and office space on the Hudson River in Menands, New York, just outside Albany.

“It’s a testament to our team’s skills, organizational abilities, and commitment to the LHRC mission that we were able to move equipment and resources that had been acquired over 30+ years of research in just three days. The move went smoothly, without any hitches or hiccups,” added Mark Rea, who served as Director of the center at RPI for almost 30 years and is now co-Director at the new center. “I’m very proud of our team and I’m particularly proud of Mariana for her leadership before and during this significant transition to a higher plateau.”

True to the LHRC’s pioneering, innovative spirit, the new LHRC facility will showcase state-of-the-art lighting systems in its human-subjects research laboratory, plant health and photometry laboratories, conference and teaching spaces, fabrication shop, and offices. “We look forward to continuing and expanding our work in meaningful research and education.” Dr. Figueiro concluded.