Arjun Yodh received his BSc degree from Cornell University, USA, and MS and PhD degrees from Harvard University, USA. He completed postdoctoral research at AT&T Bell Laboratories, USA. Today, he is the James M. Skinner Professor of Science at the University of Pennsylvania. His home department is Physics and Astronomy.

Yodh is a pioneer in the field of biophotonics, recognized for his work and contributions to developing the theoretical framework and clinical translation of diffuse optical spectroscopy and tomography technologies. He and his group were one of the first to predict and experimentally demonstrate wave-like propagation properties of diffuse photon density wave and to develop the image reconstruction algorithms needed to generate 3D tomographic images based on diffuse optical and diffuse correlation measurements. His more recent work includes demonstrating and clinically translating concepts in light diffusion for noninvasive imaging and monitoring of tissue blood flow, hemodynamics, metabolic responses, and therapeutics in cancer and brain. Yodh is also a dedicated mentor, advising more than 100 Ph.D. students and postdoctoral associates.

He holds ten patents and has published over 350 journal articles. He is a Fellow of the the Society, American Association for Advancement of Science, American Physical Society, and American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. In 2021, he received the Michael S. Feld Biophotonics Award "for pioneering research on optical sensing in scattering media, especially diffuse optical and correlation spectroscopy and tomography, and for advancing the field of biophotonics through mentorship."