Harrison Barrett

Additional Affiliations

• Regents Professor of Mathematics

Employment

• Professor: The University of Arizona, Program in Biomedical Engineering, 2006-2019
• Vice Chair for Research: The University of Arizona, Department of Radiology/Department of Biomedical Imaging, 2005-2009
• Regents' Professor: The University of Arizona, Optical Sciences Center/College of Optical Sciences, 1990-present
• Regents' Professor: The University of Arizona, Department of Radiology/Department of Biomedical Imaging, 1990-present
• Professor: The University of Arizona, Arizona Cancer Center, 1988-present
• Professor: The University of Arizona, Program in Applied Mathematics, 1986-present
• Acting Director: The University of Arizona, Optical Sciences Center, 1983
• Professor: The University of Arizona, Optical Sciences Center, 1976-1990
• Professor: The University of Arizona, Department of Radiology/Department of Biomedical Imaging, 1976-1990
• Associate Professor: The University of Arizona, Optical Sciences Center, 1974-1976
• Associate Professor: The University of Arizona, Department of Radiology/Department of Biomedical Imaging,1974-1976
• Project Leader: Raytheon Research Division, 1971-1974
• Principal Research Scientist: Raytheon Research Division, 1973-1974
• Senior Research Scientist, Raytheon Research Division, 1968-1973
• Research Scientist, Raytheon Research Division, 1962-1968

Professional Affiliations and Activities

• Academy of Molecular Imaging: Member
• American Association for the Advancement of Science: Member
• Arizona Council for Economic Conversion: Founding Board Member, 1988-1991
• Center for Gamma-Ray Imaging: Director, 1999-present
• Gordon Research Conference on Coherent Optics and Holography: Vice-Chairman, 1978
• Gordon Research Conference on Coherent Optics and Holography: Chairman, 1980
• Horseless Carriage Club of America: Member
• Hupmobile Club of America: Member
• International Commission for Optics: Light for Life Conference (Cancun, Mexico), Program Co-chair, 1999
• International Commission for Optics: U.S. National Committee, Member, 1983-1986
• International Conference on Information Processing in Medical Imaging: Meeting (Flagstaff, Arizona), Chair, June 1993
• International Conference on Information Processing in Medical Imaging: Board, Member, 1993-present
• Nankai University (China): Short Course on the Radon Transform, Visiting Professor, 1982
• National Academies Keck Futures Initiative: Seeing the Future with Imaging Science, Steering Committee, Member, 2010
• National Academy of Sciences: USSR, Exchange Scientist,  1971
• National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences: Visiting Scientist, 1992
• National Institutes of Health: College of CSR Reviewers, Member, 2010-2012
• National Institutes of Health: Defining the State-of-the-Art in Biomedical Imaging Workshop (Jackson, Miss.), Co-chair, 2003
• National University of Ireland, Galway: Visiting Professor, 2005
• The Optical Society (OSA): C. E. K. Mees Medal Committee, Member, 2006
• OSA: C. E. K. Mees Medal Committee, Chair, 2008
• OSA: Optics Express, Focus Issue, Guest Editor, 1997
• OSA: Adolph Lomb Medal Committee, Member, 1995
• OSA: Adolph Lomb Medal Committee, Chair, 1994
• OSA: Journal of the Optical Society of America A, Editor, 1985-1991
• OSA: Optics News Advisory Committee, Member, 1983-1986
• OSA: Fellows and Honorary Members Committee, Member, 1985
• OSA: Board of Editors, Member, 1985-1991
• OSA: Optics Letters, Editorial Board, Member, 1978-1981
• Review of Scientific Instruments: Editorial Board, Member, 1974-1976
• Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics: Member
• Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging: Member
• SPIE: Member
• SPIE: Medical Physics Conference, Organizing Committee, Member (numerous times)
• Tokyo Institute of Technology (Japan): Visiting Professor, 1998
• University of Erlangen-Nürnberg (Germany): Visiting Professor, 1980-1981
• University of Heidelberg (Germany): German-Language Short Course on Tomography, Visiting Professor, 1985
• University of Sydney (Australia): Brain-Mind Research Institute, Visiting Professor, 2012
• Weizmann Institute (Israel): Visiting Professor, 1980
• World Federation of Nuclear Medicine and Biology: Workshop on Coded-Aperture Imaging (Paris, France), Chair, 1982

Awards and Honors

• Alexander von Humboldt Foundation: Humboldt Prize, 1980
• American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering: Fellow
• American Physical Society: Fellow
• Dartmouth College: Thayer School, Charles C. Jones Lecturer, 2003
• IEEE, Fellow
• IEEE: Medal for Innovations in Healthcare Technology, 2011
• IEEE: Medical Imaging Scientist Award, 2000
• Industrial Research Magazine: IR-100 Award, 1973
• National Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering: Method to Extend Research in Time Award, 2003
• OSA: Fellow
• OSA: C.E.K. Mees Medal, 2005
• OSA/SPIE: First Biennial J. W. Goodman Book Writing Award (with K. J. Myers), 2006
• Phi Kappa Phi: Member
• Science Foundation Ireland: E.T.S. Walton Fellowship, 2004
• Sigma Pi Sigma: Member
• Sigma Xi: Member
• Society of Nuclear Medicine: Scientific Exhibit Awards Bronze Medal, 1973
• Society of Nuclear Medicine: Scientific Exhibit Awards Bronze Medal, 1975
• Society of Nuclear Medicine: Scientific Exhibit Awards Bronze Medal, 1983
• Society of Nuclear Medicine: Scientific Exhibit Awards Bronze Medal, 1984
• Society of Nuclear Medicine: Scientific Exhibit Awards Bronze Medal, 1985
• Society of Nuclear Medicine: Scientific Exhibit Awards First Prize, 1991
• Society of Nuclear Medicine: Scientific Exhibit Awards Honorable Mention, 1983
• Society of Nuclear Medicine: Scientific Exhibit Awards Silver Medal, 1972
• SPIE: Gold Medal of the Society, 2011
• The University of Arizona: College of Medicine, Department of Radiology, M. Paul Capp Award, 2010
• The University of Arizona: College of Medicine, Founders Day Faculty Science Award, 2006
• University of Washington: Peter W. Bartels Distinguished Visiting Professor, 1998
• University of Wisconsin: John R. Cameron Lecturer, 2003

Specific Research Interests

• Image science.
• SPECT, PET and CT imaging.
• Molecular imaging.
• Theoretical and psychophysical investigations of image quality.
• Applications of parallel computing in imaging.
• Astronomical imaging and adaptive optics.
• Optical metrology with maximum-likelihood methods.
• Electron imaging.
• Stem cells.
• Digital radiology and telemedicine in remote regions.
• Clinical effects of low radiation doses.

Research Summary

As the director of the Center for Gamma-ray Imaging, I lead a large research group centered around a P41 grant from the National Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. Now in its 12th year, CGRI engages in a broad range of research relevant to SPECT, PET and CT imaging. It is organized into five core projects:

1. Gamma-ray detectors;
2. Electronics and imaging systems;
3. Image science and image quality;
4. Adaptive and multi-modality imaging; and
5. Methods for molecular imaging.

In addition to being center director and PI on the P41 grant, I am also the project leader for gamma-ray detectors.

I also have a Method to Extend Research in Time grant from NIBIB. Now in its 21st year of funding, the objective of this grant is to develop specialized parallel computers and apply them to medical imaging. Current work concentrates on graphics processing units. With these GPUs, we have demonstrated huge increases in processing speed in various problems of image reconstruction, optimal parameter estimation and objective assessment of image quality.

In other projects (not currently funded), I apply methods from statistical decision theory to detection of planets around distant stars; wavefront sensing and adaptive optics; optical metrology, and ophthalmology. I also have a strong interest is digital radiology and CT in remote regions, and I am conducting a rigorous analysis of the fundamental tradeoff between dose and image quality in CT.

The theme that ties these diverse activities is image science. As detailed in Foundations of Image Science, which I coauthored with Kyle J. Myers, this new field comprises rigorous mathematical analysis, accurate statistical modeling, sophisticated ways of drawing inferences from images, and objective, task-based assessment of image quality. Two recent awards, gold medals from SPIE and IEEE, have recognized the contributions of my group in these areas.

Books Authored

• Foundations of Image Science

  Harrison H. Barrett and Kyle J. Myers

• Small-Animal SPECT Imaging

  Matthew A. Kupinski and Harrison H. Barrett