25th Annual Dobrin Lecture
March 20, 2019, 2–7:45 p.m.

Lianjie Huang, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist 5, Los Alamos National Laboratory

presents

Super-resolution Imaging:
From Subsurface Fracture Detection to Cancer Identification

Wednesday, March 20
2:00–5:30 p.m. – Poster Session
5:30–6:30 p.m. – Happy Hour
6:30–7:45 p.m. – Presentation

University of Houston Alumni Center, O’Quinn Great Hall
3204 Cullen Blvd, Houston, TX 77004

Registration is free. To RSVP or for more information, please contact Kirene Ramesar at 713-743-7820 or kramesar@uh.edu.

Abstract

How to achieve high spatial resolution in imaging is a key issue in many fields. In this presentation, Huang will demonstrate that advanced imaging techniques can be used not only in exploration of natural resources but also in cancer imaging to save human lives. Seismic imaging and ultrasound imaging are based on wave propagation in complex media. He will present high-resolution elastic-wave imaging and inversion for fracture detection in complex geology such as in geothermal fields. In addition, Huang will present super-resolution ultrasound imaging and ultrasound waveform tomography for early detection and characterization of breast cancer and prostate cancer.

Biography

Lianjie Huang, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist 5 at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Recently, he has made important scientific and technological progress in super-resolution imaging and applied the method in a range of applications including seismic imaging and inversion, CO₂ sequestration, geothermal development, and medical ultrasound imaging for early detection of breast and prostate cancer. He is the first researcher bringing advanced seismic imaging techniques to medical imaging, starting in the early 2000s.

Huang obtained his Ph.D. in Geophysics (1994) from the University of Paris 7/Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, under the supervision of Peter Mora and Albert Tarantola. He received his B.Sc. in Physics (1985) and M.Sc. in Mathematics (1989) from Peking University.

His seismic research includes acoustic- and elastic-wave modeling, least-squares reverse-time migration, and full-waveform inversion in isotropic and anisotropic media with applications to subsalt imaging, geothermal energy, and geologic carbon storage.

His super-resolution ultrasound imaging for microcalcification detection in the breast achieves the spatial resolution of X-ray mammography. He holds nine patents in this field.

Huang has served as principal investigators for numerous projects on seismic imaging and medical imaging. While at Los Alamos, he has raised more than $44 million of research funding supported by U.S. DOE, DoD, and NIH. He has mentored 21 summer students and 22 postdocs. He has published more than 200 papers in refereed journals and proceedings. He is a member of the SEG Research Committee, its CO₂ Subcommittee, and the SEG Publication Committee/Book Editorial Committee.