Christoph H. Schmitz received the Diploma degree in physics from the University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany, in 1995. He received the Ph.D. degree in physics from the University of Hannover, Hannover, Germany, in 1998, for work on optical-thermal laser-tissue interaction and tissue spectroscopy. He started a postdoctoral position at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, in 1999. In 2001 he assumed the position of Research Assistant Professor at SUNY Downstate Medical Center. Since 2006, he has been a staff researcher at the Charité University Hospital, Berlin, Germany, and Managing Director of NIRx Medizintechnik GmbH, Berlin, Germany. His research interest is the development of diffuse optical imaging technology and its application in neuro-imaging and breast-cancer diagnosis.