Yuan-Chuan Tai, PhD
Senior Vice Chair and Division Director, Radiology Research Facilities
Associate Professor of Radiology
Lab:
Tai LabYuan-Chuan Tai, PhD, is senior vice chair and division director of radiology research facilities for Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology (MIR) at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. With more than two decades at MIR, Tai joined the faculty in 2001, first as an assistant professor. Having previously served as director of a cyclotron facility in Taiwan, he lends his expertise to the vast programming and support of MIR’s facilities — from the Cyclotron Facility to PET/CT in humans and small animals. He also previously led what is now the Precision Radiotheranostics Translation Center (PRTC).
A NIH-funded researcher, Tai leads the Molecular Imaging Physics & Instrumentation Lab, where he develops high-resolution detectors, multi-modal imaging systems, and computational algorithms to improve clinical diagnostic accuracy, enable image-guided radiotheranostics, and translate advanced imaging technologies for biological and agricultural research. He was honored with the 2021 Distinguished Investigator Award by the Academy for Radiology & Biomedical Imaging Research, recognizing his high level of achievement in the field of imaging research.
Research Interests
novel molecular imaging systems, augmented whole-body scanning via magnifying PET (AWSM-PET) technology, compact PET/ultrasound imaging, interactive point-of-care PET/US imaging, Molecular and functional plant imaging, Image-guided radio-theranostics
Link to Publications
Education History
Fellowship
Postdoctoral training, University of California, Los Angeles
Doctorate
University of California, Los Angeles
Graduate
University of Texas at Arlington
Undergraduate
National Tsing Hua University
Associations
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society
Radiological Sciences Executive Committee, Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology
Awards
2021 Distinguished Investigator Award, Academy for Radiology & Biomedical Imaging Research
2005 Prize for the Highest Cited Paper, Physics in Medicine & Biology
1997 Chancellor's Dissertation Year Fellowship, UCLA
1997 Awards for Outstanding Research by International Student, Alpha Association of Phi Beta Kappa Alumni
1996 Norman A. Baily Awards for Outstanding Research in Medical Physics, American Association of Physicists in Medicine