prof. dr. ir. C. (Charalampos) Tsoumpas
Quantification in Molecular Diagnostics & Radionuclide Therapy
Telephone:
Work office:
Work (+31503619972)
c.tsoumpas umcg.nl
E-mail:
c.tsoumpas umcg.nl
Field/Discipline
Expertise
I am primarily recognised by my peers for pioneering novel mathematical and computational methods and embedding physics models and models of the human anatomy and physiology within image reconstruction, thus increasing the quantification accuracy.
Key Achievements
My first research project as part of my studies in physics (BSc, 1998-2002) at the National University of Athens, included the design and development of a method for image reconstruction using artificial neural networks which led to my first research article. As part of my biomedical engineering MSc at the National Technical University of Athens (2002-2004), I had a 5-months internship at Hammersmith Hospital (London), where I developed new methods for modelling scattered photons which led to two consecutive patents, and more accurate scatter correction software being included in commercial clinical systems. During my PhD research at Imperial College London (2004-2007), I developed a completely new image reconstruction approach that incorporates tracer kinetics and produces parametric images. This approach constitutes a breakthrough and is a key feature of new PET/CT systems. My postdoctoral research at King’s College London (2008-2013) led to two other milestones: (A) I showcased for the first time the use of MRI for the correction of non-rigid motion, using one of the world’s first prototype PET-MRI, and (B) demonstrated for the first time the importance of including regularisation when incorporating motion information within image reconstruction. As a lecturer in ‘medical imaging’ at Leeds University (2013-2021), I led research funded by national and international bodies (e.g., Leverhulme Trust, Royal Society, UK Research Councils, EU) which enabled me and my team to develop novel reconstruction methods, for example, by exploiting anatomical information which improved both image quality and quantification.
Most code I developed over the last twenty years is included in the well-established open research software for tomographic image reconstruction (STIR). My conviction that open science and proactive collaboration can accelerate scientific discoveries and their impact shapes my research ethos. This means that I have devoted considerable time to developing high-quality, optimised C++ code, detailed inline code documentation, manuals and numerous examples, demos and corresponding educational material.
My achievements have been recognised by various professional societies: I am a Fellow of both the Institute of Physics & Engineering in Medicine and the Institute of Physics since 2020, and a Senior Member of IEEE since 2013. In 2017, my co-authors and I were awarded the Rotblat Medal by the Institute of Physics for the research article in Physics in Medicine & Biology most often cited in the preceding 5-years.
Leadership
Throughout my academic career, I have had leading roles in several academic networks and collaborations. Since 2014, I am a team leader in Crystal Clear Collaboration coordinated by the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN). I was a UK representative of the COST Actions TD1401 (2015-2019) and TD1007 (2011-2015) coordinating the dissemination and outreach activities of the former, and co-chairing the software working group of the latter. Furthermore, I am a founding member of the Collaborative Computational Project Synergistic Reconstruction in Biomedical Imaging (CCP SyneRBI). During 2015-2018, I was the Head of Enterprise & Innovation for the Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine (250 staff, including 80 academics and 120 PhD students). As part of my tasks, I enhanced the institute’s industrial network and attracted grants from the Royal Society, Medical Research Council and Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council, co-sponsored by industry partners including Positrigo, GE Healthcare, Invicro and Bruker. I led these collaborations, which were followed by the industrial adaptation, e.g. Positrigo’s commercial PET scanners use STIR library as their clinical reconstruction software.
Mentorship
Throughout my career I have advised on dozens of research projects. More specifically, I have formally supervised or still supervise 23 PhD students (12 as primary promotor). The professional development and successes of my team members are of paramount importance to me. I always foster an environment that values teamwork over competition, where I highlight the interconnections of different projects and encourage cooperation and the value of open science. This means that my team invests additional effort to make well-documented open-source code available to others to be able to reproduce findings and accelerate collaborative research. Furthermore, my research ethos is inspired by my dedication to high-quality research with special emphasis on novelty, importance, and impact rather than on the number of scientific outputs. Most of my mentees, with whom I maintain regular contact, have careers in the field, and I am particularly proud of my first two PhD students as primary supervisor who received the prestigious IEEE Nuclear & Plasma Sciences Society Graduate Scholarship: Daniel Deidda, tenured senior researcher at National Physical Laboratories (UK), and Mercy Akerele, Assistant Professor at Washington University in St. Louis.
Key Achievements
My first research project as part of my studies in physics (BSc, 1998-2002) at the National University of Athens, included the design and development of a method for image reconstruction using artificial neural networks which led to my first research article. As part of my biomedical engineering MSc at the National Technical University of Athens (2002-2004), I had a 5-months internship at Hammersmith Hospital (London), where I developed new methods for modelling scattered photons which led to two consecutive patents, and more accurate scatter correction software being included in commercial clinical systems. During my PhD research at Imperial College London (2004-2007), I developed a completely new image reconstruction approach that incorporates tracer kinetics and produces parametric images. This approach constitutes a breakthrough and is a key feature of new PET/CT systems. My postdoctoral research at King’s College London (2008-2013) led to two other milestones: (A) I showcased for the first time the use of MRI for the correction of non-rigid motion, using one of the world’s first prototype PET-MRI, and (B) demonstrated for the first time the importance of including regularisation when incorporating motion information within image reconstruction. As a lecturer in ‘medical imaging’ at Leeds University (2013-2021), I led research funded by national and international bodies (e.g., Leverhulme Trust, Royal Society, UK Research Councils, EU) which enabled me and my team to develop novel reconstruction methods, for example, by exploiting anatomical information which improved both image quality and quantification.
Most code I developed over the last twenty years is included in the well-established open research software for tomographic image reconstruction (STIR). My conviction that open science and proactive collaboration can accelerate scientific discoveries and their impact shapes my research ethos. This means that I have devoted considerable time to developing high-quality, optimised C++ code, detailed inline code documentation, manuals and numerous examples, demos and corresponding educational material.
My achievements have been recognised by various professional societies: I am a Fellow of both the Institute of Physics & Engineering in Medicine and the Institute of Physics since 2020, and a Senior Member of IEEE since 2013. In 2017, my co-authors and I were awarded the Rotblat Medal by the Institute of Physics for the research article in Physics in Medicine & Biology most often cited in the preceding 5-years.
Leadership
Throughout my academic career, I have had leading roles in several academic networks and collaborations. Since 2014, I am a team leader in Crystal Clear Collaboration coordinated by the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN). I was a UK representative of the COST Actions TD1401 (2015-2019) and TD1007 (2011-2015) coordinating the dissemination and outreach activities of the former, and co-chairing the software working group of the latter. Furthermore, I am a founding member of the Collaborative Computational Project Synergistic Reconstruction in Biomedical Imaging (CCP SyneRBI). During 2015-2018, I was the Head of Enterprise & Innovation for the Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine (250 staff, including 80 academics and 120 PhD students). As part of my tasks, I enhanced the institute’s industrial network and attracted grants from the Royal Society, Medical Research Council and Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council, co-sponsored by industry partners including Positrigo, GE Healthcare, Invicro and Bruker. I led these collaborations, which were followed by the industrial adaptation, e.g. Positrigo’s commercial PET scanners use STIR library as their clinical reconstruction software.
Mentorship
Throughout my career I have advised on dozens of research projects. More specifically, I have formally supervised or still supervise 23 PhD students (12 as primary promotor). The professional development and successes of my team members are of paramount importance to me. I always foster an environment that values teamwork over competition, where I highlight the interconnections of different projects and encourage cooperation and the value of open science. This means that my team invests additional effort to make well-documented open-source code available to others to be able to reproduce findings and accelerate collaborative research. Furthermore, my research ethos is inspired by my dedication to high-quality research with special emphasis on novelty, importance, and impact rather than on the number of scientific outputs. Most of my mentees, with whom I maintain regular contact, have careers in the field, and I am particularly proud of my first two PhD students as primary supervisor who received the prestigious IEEE Nuclear & Plasma Sciences Society Graduate Scholarship: Daniel Deidda, tenured senior researcher at National Physical Laboratories (UK), and Mercy Akerele, Assistant Professor at Washington University in St. Louis.
Other positions
Editorial Board, European Journal of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging
Specialty Chief Editor, Frontiers in Nuclear Medicine
Associate Editor, European Journal of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging Research
Guest Associate Editor, Medical Physics
Associate Editor, European Journal of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging Physics
Editorial Board, International Journal of Cardiovascular Sciences
Team Leader (UMCG), Crystal Clear Collaboration
Executive Advisor, Positrigo AG
Specialty Chief Editor, Frontiers in Nuclear Medicine
Associate Editor, European Journal of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging Research
Guest Associate Editor, Medical Physics
Associate Editor, European Journal of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging Physics
Editorial Board, International Journal of Cardiovascular Sciences
Team Leader (UMCG), Crystal Clear Collaboration
Executive Advisor, Positrigo AG
| Last modified: | 04 December 2024 3.27 p.m. |