Team

Principal Investigator

Shiva Abbaszadeh

Dr. Shiva Abbaszadeh

sabbasza@ucsc.edu

Dr. Abbaszadeh received her Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo (Ontario, Canada) in 2014 and developed robust, high sensitivity detectors for medical imaging and chemical analysis. She then joined Stanford University as a postdoctoral fellow where she developed a molecular imaging system and data processing algorithms to improve image quality. She established the Radiological Instrumentation Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2017 before joining UCSC. Dr. Abbaszadeh’s lab at UCSC develops tools for radiation detection and imaging applications.

Lab Scientists

Michael G. Farrier

Michael G. Farrier

Senior Scientist

M.S., Engineering Science, University of California, Berkeley
B.S., Physics, University of California, Berkeley

Mr. Farrier, holds fourteen patents for innovations found in solid state imaging devices utilized in imaging systems for medical X-ray, aerospace, scientific, commercial, and industrial applications. In 2019, he was awarded an SBIR grant from the Department of Energy to investigate properties of a micron scale pixel a-Se/ CMOS detector using the synchrotron light source at Argonne National Laboratory. He began his research career after graduating from the University of California, Berkeley with a M.S. Engineering Science, and B.A. Physics, specializing in Quantum Electronics and semiconductor detector fabrication. Mr. Farrier has held senior positions with several corporations and is currently the founding consultant for Farrier MicroEngineering LLC.

Praveen Gurunath Bharathi

Dr. Praveen Gurunath Bharathi

Assistant Project Scientist

Ph.D., Electrical and Electronics Engineering, BITS Pilani, 2019

Dr. Praveen Gurunath Bharathi earned his PhD in 2019 from the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at BITS Pilani, India, where he developed an intelligent decision support system for diagnosing multiple brain disorders from MRI scans. He then joined the University of Manchester, UK, as a Postdoctoral Research Associate, where he spearheaded the development of a deep-learning-based system for mosaic image analysis in the field of Rheumatology. In 2022, he joined the Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Department of Radiology at Stanford University as a postdoctoral fellow, where he developed a real-time PET image quality monitoring framework using deep learning. He was also involved in developing a prostate cancer staging framework for a multi-center study. His current research focuses on developing AI-driven systems specifically tailored to advancements in nuclear medicine.

Postdoctoral Researchers

Katie Hellier

Dr. Kaitlin Hellier

khellier@ucsc.edu

Ph.D., Physics, University of California Santa Cruz, 2020
B.S., Applied Physics, University of California Santa Cruz, 2014

Dr. Kaitlin Hellier received her Ph.D. in 2020 from the Department of Physics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she studied organic and inorganic materials for renewable energy and sustainable applications, with a focus on local structure and defect states. Her research now focuses on materials fabrication and characterization for UV and X-ray imaging, with special interest in alloying materials to improve optoelectronic properties.

Graduate Students

Gregory Romanchek

Gregory Romanchek

romanch2@illinois.edu

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Gregory Romanchek

romanch2@illinois.edu

M.S., Nuclear Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, August 2020
B.S., Engineering Physics, cum Laude, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, December 2017
B.S., Nuclear Engineering, cum Laude, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, December 2017

I am a third year graduate student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering Department studying under Prof. Shiva Abbaszadeh. My research interests focus on the development of statistical and machine learning algorithms in the context of radiation source detection and localization for national security applications. I also apply my toolkit to medical imaging problems regarding dynamic PET.

Akyl Swaby

Akyl Swaby

akswaby@ucsc.edu

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Akyl Swaby

akswaby@ucsc.edu

M.S., Electrical Engineering, University of California at Santa Cruz, 2020

B.S., Electrical Engineering, San Francisco State University, 2018

I am a Ph.D. student at the University of California at Santa Cruz, majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering. I am interested in nanomaterials, optical communication, and photo-detection. My research relates to radiology, materials science, and electrical engineering. In my free time, I enjoy cooking, jazz, and literature.

Greyson Shoop

Greyson Shoop

grshoop@ucsc.edu

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Greyson Shoop

grshoop@ucsc.edu

B.S., Electrical Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, 2022

I am a first year student in the Scientific Computing and Applied Mathematics Master’s program. I am currently working on improving conventional small animal PET imaging through a non-conventional combination of SPECT and PET imaging principles. My research interests focus on improving nuclear imaging sensitivity and image reconstruction techniques, as well as general materials science and inverse problems in medical imaging.

Kimia Gholami

Kimia Gholami

fgholami@ucsc.edu

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Kimia Gholami

fgholami@ucsc.edu

B.S., Computer Engineering, University of Tabriz, 2021

I am a Ph.D. student at the University of California Santa Cruz in Electrical and Computer Engineering. I have worked on applying the finite element method and machine learning algorithms on medical images and image reconstruction techniques in SPECT. Currently, my research interests focus on Medical Imaging including Image reconstruction techniques and radiological instrumentations in PET and SPECT.

Daniel Fiallo

Daniel Fiallo

dfiallo@ucsc.edu

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Daniel Fiallo

dfiallo@ucsc.edu

B.S., Electrical Engineering, UCSC, 2023

I am a Master’s student at the University of California, Santa Cruz, pursuing a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering. My interests lie with analog devices, IC design, and hardware diagnosing.

Mohammadreza Mohseni Ferezghi

Mohammadreza Mohseni Ferezghi

momohsen@ucsc.edu

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Mohammadreza Mohseni Ferezghi

momohsen@ucsc.edu

M.S., Medical Radiation Engineering, Shiraz University, 2014

B.S., Electrical Engineering, Hakim Sabzevari University, 2011

I’ve acquired a foundational understanding of biomedical imaging through dedicated study and hands-on experience in a range of modalities, including PET, SPECT, X-ray, MRI, and Ultrasound Imaging. Currently, my focus lies in the realms of CZT detectors and hardware for an animal PET system at UCSC. I seek out new techniques and methodologies to contribute to the advancement of medical imaging systems.

Hamid Mirzanezhad

Hamid Mirzanezhad

hmirzane@ucsc.edu

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Hamid Mirzanezhad

hmirzane@ucsc.edu

M.S., Khajeh Nasir Toosi University, 2022

B.A., Qazvin Islamic Azad University, 2015

Previous research includes work on perovskite solar cells and gas sensors, contributing to valuable experience in both areas. I am currently engaged in research on Se detectors, and my research interests include semiconductor electronics, light detectors, and fabrication and materials.

Spencer Balliet

Spencer Balliet

sballiet@ucsc.edu

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Spencer Balliet

sballiet@ucsc.edu

B.S., Electrical Engineering, UCSC, 2023

I am a graduate student at UCSC pursuing an M.S. in electrical engineering, I am currently working in digital design with FPGAs as well as an interest in ASIC design.

Molly McGrath

Molly McGrath

momcgrat@ucsc.edu

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Molly McGrath

momcgrat@ucsc.edu

Max Teicheira

Max Teicheira

mteichei@ucsc.edu

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Max Teicheira

mteichei@ucsc.edu

Undergraduate Students

Walker Mayer

Walker Mayer

wlmayer@ucsc.edu

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Walker Mayer

wlmayer@ucsc.edu

I am a third year undergraduate student in Applied Physics. My research interests include medical imaging, specifically the PET imaging method. I am also interested in sustainable materials, particularly optimizing renewable energy. In my free time, I like to read (fiction), go in the ocean and listen to music.

Evelyn Gunyel

Evelyn Gunyel

egunyel@ucsc.edu

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Evelyn Gunyel

egunyel@ucsc.edu

I am an undergraduate at the Electrical Engineering department in the University of California Santa Cruz. My research interests consist of the development of the PET and medical imaging systems. I am skilled in circuit design and development.

Benjamin Mencer

Benjamin Mencer

bmencer@ucsc.edu

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Benjamin Mencer

bmencer@ucsc.edu

Benjamin Mencer is a Computer Science undergraduate. He is working on improving PET systems by leveraging DeepLearning techniques. During his previous work at Reality Defender, Benjamin worked on Deepfake Detection technology, specializing in dataset creation and audio processing.

Benjamin has spoken at the Asilomar Microcomputer Workshop, and recently joined its Program Planning Team. He has also spoken at the AI/Machine Learning seminar at Stanford SLAC, and in the Stanford EE380 Computer Systems Colloquium.

Visiting Students

Kellii Fusari

Kellii Fusari

kfusari@ucsc.edu

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Kellii Fusari

kfusari@ucsc.edu

Kelli is currently an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley. She was a summer REU student in Materials Science working with Kaitlin Hellier on Te-alloying of a-Se photodetectors.

Corinne Ahern

Corinne Ahern

coahern@ucsc.edu

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Corinne Ahern

coahern@ucsc.edu

Corinne Ahern is an undergraduate student in the Dual Degree Engineering program with Bowdoin and Dartmouth College. She is pursuing a Bachelors of Arts degree in physics and math at Bowdoin College and a Bachelors of Science degree in materials science engineering at Dartmouth. She is an REU participant assisting Kaitlin Hellier in her research on device fabrication and characterization for UV and X-ray imaging.

Emmie Benard

Emmie Benard

embenard01@gmail.com

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Emmie Benard

embenard01@gmail.com

Emmie is a rising senior at Arizona State University studying Material Science and Engineering. For Emmie, material science provides a creative and hands-on outlet for her love of chemistry, materials, and the great outdoors. Previously, Emmie interned at Brookhaven National Laboratory studying nuclear chemistry. She has also worked as an undergraduate researcher at UCSC fabricating photodetectors for medical imaging. At ASU, she has the privilege of working in the Quantum Materials and Applications Laboratry sythesizing and characterizing novel nanomaterials. At ASU, Emmie enjoys being a teaching assistant and holding officer roles in various clubs. As she continues her formal education via the accelerated masters program at ASU, she intends to concentrate on gaining a strong ability to problem solve in hopes of making the world a better place through fundamental science.

High School Students

Sanjana Ryali

Sanjana Ryali

sanjana.ryali@warriorlife.net

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Sanjana Ryali

sanjana.ryali@warriorlife.net

I am a sophomore at Valley Christian High School in San Jose, CA. My academic interests are in image processing, machine learning and robotics. I plan to pursue a career in software engineering and data science.

Alumni

Emily Enlow

Emily Enlow

eenlow@ucsc.edu

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Emily Enlow

eenlow@ucsc.edu

Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, 2022

M.S., Electrical Engineering, San Jose State University

B.S., Electrical Engineering, Iowa State University

Emily received her B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Iowa State University with an emphasis in Microelectronics and Materials. While at Iowa State, she worked in the Microelectronic Research group with a primary focus on nano-crystalline Si solar cells. After graduating from Iowa State, she began working on her Master’s from San Jose State University in Materials Science and Engineering. Her Master’s project at San Jose State University was developing a procedure to measure various materials’ optical constants and thicknesses using a hemispherical directional reflectometer. While completing her degree, Emily worked at Lockheed Martin Space Systems for more than 5 years as a Materials Engineer in the Organic, Optical, and Electrical Testing Groups. From 2015 to 2016, Emily also worked as a Device Characterization Intern at ONSemi working on testing Si photodetectors. She received her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2022. At UCSC, she worked on optoelectronic devices made from bulk and quantum dot perovskite active layers in the Carter Lab.

Mariana Huerta

Mariana Huerta

maelhuer@ucsc.edu

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Mariana Huerta

maelhuer@ucsc.edu

I am pursuing a Master’s in Electrical and Computer Engineering at UC Santa Cruz. I have worked on analog readout integrated circuits for imaging systems and am passionate about their applications in the medical field and beyond. My research interests include analog and mixed signal integrated circuit design.

Kyle Moua

Kyle Moua

knmoua@ucsc.edu

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Kyle Moua

knmoua@ucsc.edu

B.S., Electrical Engineering, University of California at Santa Cruz, 2023

Ramon J. Gomez

Ramon J. Gomez

rajgomez@ucsc.edu

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Ramon J. Gomez

rajgomez@ucsc.edu

B.S., Electrical Engineering, University of California at Santa Cruz, 2023

Process Technician at Northrup Grumman

Sneh Patel

Sneh Patel

snapatel@ucsc.edu

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Sneh Patel

snapatel@ucsc.edu

B.S., MCD BIOLOGY, UC Santa Cruz, 2021

I am an undergraduate student majoring in MCD Biology and I aspire to attend medical school with a focus on radiation oncology. My academic interests include point spread function modeling for PET and 3-D positioning PET algorithms. Currently, I am working on identification and targeting hypoxia in head and neck cancer using PET scan.

Austin Ng

Austin Ng

audng@ucsc.edu

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Austin Ng

audng@ucsc.edu

B.S., Biomolecular Engineering, UC Santa Cruz, 2023

I am an undergraduate student majoring in Biomolecular Engineering and minoring in Electrical Engineering. I aspire to become an engineer so that I can apply my passion in working with hardware to my goal of helping patients identify and treat cancer early on. I am currently working on the design and circuitry for an IFTOF device.

Shiloh Sojourner Sacks

Shiloh Sojourner Sacks

sssacks@ucsc.edu

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Shiloh Sojourner Sacks

sssacks@ucsc.edu

B.S. Electrical Engineering, UC Santa Cruz, 2021

I am studying Electrical Engineering because I am very passionate about using technology to create a more sustainable and healthy future. My academic interests include radio frequency design, antenna design, nuclear medicine, power electronics, and solar technology. I am currently working on a PET Scan detector simulation.

Maryam Farahmandzadeh

Maryam Farahmandzadeh

mafarahm@ucsc.edu

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Maryam Farahmandzadeh

mafarahm@ucsc.edu

M.S., Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, 2021

B.S., Electrical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, 2013

Engineer at Intel

Immanuel Suradji

Immanuel Suradji

isuradji@ucsc.edu

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Immanuel Suradji

isuradji@ucsc.edu

B.S. COMPUTER SCIENCE, UC Santa Cruz 2023

I am an undergraduate student majoring in Computer Science. My interests currently consist of working with data processing/analysis. I intend to pursue a career in data science and software engineering.

Jack Lin

Jack Lin

slin107@ucsc.edu

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Jack Lin

slin107@ucsc.edu

Firmware Engineer at Supermicro Computer

B.S., Electrical Engineering, Tunghai University, 2018

M.S., Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, 2021

Yuli Wang

Yuli Wang

ywang812@ucsc.edu

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Yuli Wang

ywang812@ucsc.edu

Pursuing a PhD at John Hopkins University.

M.S., Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, 2021

B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 2018

Mohan Li

Mohan Li

mohanli2@illinois.edu

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Mohan Li

mohanli2@illinois.edu

Software Engineer at Google

Ph.D. Nuclear, Nuclear Engineering, University of Illinois, 2020
B.S. Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, 2015

Zheng Liu

Zheng Liu

zliu86@illinois.edu

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Zheng Liu

zliu86@illinois.edu

Data Scientist at Wayfair

Ph.D. Nuclear, Nuclear Engineering, University of Illinois, 2019

Hengquan Zhang

Hengquan Zhang

hz14@illinois.edu

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Hengquan Zhang

hz14@illinois.edu

Ph.D. candidate at USC
M.S. Nuclear Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, 2019

Heyuan Huang

Heyuan Huang

hhuang79@illinois.edu

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Heyuan Huang

hhuang79@illinois.edu

John Smith

John Smith

jbsmith5@illinois.edu

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John Smith

jbsmith5@illinois.edu