ECE 290 Seminar: “Photon Counting CT: How Counting X-Ray Photons Enables a Major Advance in Medical Imaging”
Presented by: Adam Wang, Assistant Professor of Radiology @ Stanford University
Description: “Computed tomography (CT) is a mainstay of medical imaging, but its capabilities are constrained by radiation dose and the information captured by conventional x-ray detectors. Photon-counting CT (PCCT) measures individual x-ray photons and their energies, creating new opportunities for high-resolution, low-dose, and quantitative imaging. Realizing these benefits requires addressing challenges that span detector physics, system design, reconstruction, and image analysis.
This talk will introduce the principles of photon-counting CT, explain how it differs from conventional CT, and discuss its advantages and practical limitations. These technical benefits are contributing to clinical advancements and applications in neuro, chest, cardiac, abdominal, and musculoskeletal imaging. Throughout, I will highlight how engineering choices affect imaging performance and clinical utility, and discuss ongoing research in translating photon-counting measurements into reliable diagnostic information.”
Bio: Adam Wang, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Radiology and, by courtesy, of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University, where he leads the Advanced X-ray and CT Imaging research group. His research includes photon-counting detectors, spectral imaging, and low-dose techniques for x-ray and CT imaging. His group’s work spans imaging system design, computational modeling, image reconstruction, and quantitative image analysis, with the goal of improving diagnostic information while reducing radiation dose.
Hosted by: Professor Zhicong Yu & Professor Shiva Abbaszadeh, Electrical & Computer Engineering Department
When: Monday, October 19th 2026 from 10:40 to 11:45 AM PST
Location: Classroom E2-194