// Curriculum Vitae

Sheng-Chieh (Leon) Chiu

Postdoctoral Researcher · AI in Medical Imaging & Healthcare Data

Experience

Postdoctoral Researcher

  • Developing sovereign AI and digital twin technologies for trustworthy, locally governed neurological and surgical applications.
  • Developing cross-modality generative AI to synthesize amyloid PET from structural MRI, enabling amyloid-burden estimation without PET while safeguarding against false-positive signals in healthy populations.
  • Developing a self-supervised foundation model for resting-state fMRI to learn healthy brain dynamics as a baseline for clinical perturbation analysis and digital twin modeling.
  • Building real-time computer vision for DaVinci robotic-assisted gynecologic surgery, integrating object detection, promptable segmentation, visibility-aware tracking, and safety mechanisms under occlusion.

Graduate Research Assistant

  • Developed image-processing and deep-learning methods for amyloid PET quantification in Alzheimer's disease.
  • Built MRI-assisted and MRI-less deep-learning segmentation pipelines, demonstrating quantitative equivalence to FreeSurfer across multi-site cohorts.
  • Developed tracer characteristic-based co-registration for simultaneous PET/MR motion correction and a PET biomarker for MCI-to-AD progression prediction.
  • Performed Centiloid calibration, equivalence testing, ROC analysis, and bootstrap validation while collaborating across nuclear medicine, radiology, neurology, and computer science.

Education

Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering

GPA: 3.85/4.0

Dissertation: "Optimizing Quantification in Alzheimer's Disease with PET Imaging through Advanced Imaging and Deep Learning Techniques"

B.S. in Biomedical Engineering

GPA: 3.76/4.30 (Upper Division: 3.86/4.30)

Technical Skills

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Deep Learning

Python PyTorch Generative AI

Medical Imaging Processing

PET MRI Co-registration Segmentation Quantification

Medical Imaging Tools

MATLAB 3D Slicer SPM FSL FreeSurfer MRIcroGL

Research & Publications

1.

"Classification of tau status with machine learning models in amyloid-positive cohorts"

Lin YC, Chiu SC, Massey R, Fang YHD

Jul 2026, Alzheimer's & Dementia · DOI

Machine-learning surrogate for tau-PET status using MRI and amyloid PET across ADNI, OASIS-3, and SCAN cohorts (AUC 0.92).

2.

"Amyloid PET quantification with deep learning segmentation models without MRI"

Chiu SC, Lin YC, McConathy J, Lin SY, Fang YHD

Mar 2026, EJNMMI Physics · DOI

MRI-less amyloid PET quantification using synthetic CT, with quantitative equivalence and external PET/CT validation.

3.

"Motion correction of simultaneous brain PET/MR images based on tracer uptake characteristics"

Chiu SC, Perucho JA, Fang YHD

Jul 2025, EJNMMI Physics · DOI

Tracer characteristic-based co-registration that reduces PET/MR misalignment and improves quantification and lesion detectability.

4.

"Prediction of MCI-to-AD progression with atrophy-weighted standard uptake value ratios of ¹⁸F-Florbetapir PET"

Fang YHD, Perucho JA, Chiu SC, Lin YC, McConathy JE

Mar 2023, medRxiv · DOI

Atrophy-weighted SUVR combining amyloid uptake and hippocampal volume to predict MCI-to-AD progression.

Under Review

R

"Deep learning MR-based segmentation approach for amyloid PET quantification"

Chiu SC, Lin YC, McConathy J, Lin SY, Fang YHD

Under review, EJNMMI Physics

MR-based deep-learning brain segmentation for amyloid PET quantification.

In Preparation

I1

"Accelerated tau deposition is associated with COVID infection in the ADNI cohort"

Lee J, Chiu SC, Lin YC, McConathy J, Fang YHD

In preparation

I2

"Evaluating the association between cerebral atrophy and tau deposition in amyloid-positive individuals across the Alzheimer's disease continuum"

Lin YC, Massey R, Chiu SC, Lee J, Fang YHD

In preparation

I3

"A simplified scoring system for MCI-to-AD conversion prediction based on Centiloid and cognitive tests"

Massey R, Perucho J, Chiu SC, Lin YC, Lee J, Fang YHD

In preparation

Poster Presentations

P1

"Evaluation of Deep Learning Models for Brain Parcellation in Neuroimaging of Alzheimer's Disease"

Chiu SC, Fang YHD

SNMMI Jun 2024 · Abstract

Conference poster on DL parcellation for AD neuroimaging.

P2

"Volumetric Brain Tumor Segmentation in High-Grade Glioma Using a Semi-Automated Workflow"

Perry J, Nikpanah M, Chiu SC, Fang YHD, McConathy J

SNMMI Jun 2024 · Abstract

Semi-automated volumetric brain-tumor segmentation workflow for high-grade glioma.

P3

"Correction for Involuntary Motion of Simultaneous PET/MR Brain Scans Based on Regional Tracer Characteristics"

Chiu SC

SNMMI Jun 2023 · Abstract

Early TCBC presentation at SNMMI.

P4

"Development of an Extension Framework to Enable Deep Learning-Based Image Processing and Analysis with Cloud Computing for Open-Source Imaging Software"

Chiu SC

WMIC Oct 2021 · Abstract · GitHub

Cloud DL tooling for open-source imaging workflows.

Featured Projects