Building Better Detectors: Where Materials, Electronics, and Physics Meet

Dr. Shiva Abbaszadeh
Associate Professor and Jack Baskin Endowed Chair in Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, UC Santa Cruz

Salazar 2009A
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Abstract: Radiation detectors form the critical interface between physical phenomena and measurable data, yet their performance is fundamentally shaped by complex interactions between materials, electronics, and device physics. In this seminar, I will present a broad overview of the principles that guide modern detector development, with an emphasis on how signals are generated, distorted, and ultimately interpreted.

For X-ray imaging, I will highlight the development of amorphous selenium (a-Se) detectors with optimized blocking contacts, enabling high quantum efficiency and spectral separation in single-exposure, dual-layer architectures. This approach supports precise, low-dose detection of subtle features, such as coronary artery calcifications. Across these efforts, the work aims to translate fundamental detector physics into practical, high-impact imaging technologies for science, medicine, and beyond.

Bio: Dr. Shiva Abbaszadeh is an Associate Professor and Jack Baskin Endowed Chair in Engineering in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). She earned her Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Waterloo in 2014 and completed a postdoctoral fellowship as a Stanford Molecular Imaging Scholar. Prior to joining UCSC, she established the Radiological Instrumentation Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Abbaszadeh’s research lies at the intersection of detector development, data acquisition systems, and computational processing to enhance image quality and reduce noise in medical and environmental imaging. Her work is supported by the NIH, DOD, and DOE. She was named a Fellow of the Research Corporation for Science Advancement for her efforts in bioimaging and is the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the SPIE Optics and Photonics Award and the SNMMI Tracy Lynn Faber Memorial Award.