CMGI Appoints Abhijit Chaudhari New Director

After 12 years as Director of the Center for Molecular and Genomic Imaging (CMGI), Dr. Simon Cherry will step down effective July 1st.  Dr. Abhijit Chaudhari (Department of Radiology) will follow him as the new Director of CMGI.

“It was a difficult decision to make, but new initiatives are tied to significant effort levels on my part. It also is the right time for a change, to bring in a new Director who can focus more time and energy on the Center, and build on our recent designation as a Campus Research Core Facility and a strong user base of over 80 UC Davis laboratories. I am very grateful for all the support I have had from our fantastic CMGI staff, as well as the enriching interactions I have enjoyed with many of our clients. I am also grateful to the Department of Biomedical Engineering, the College of Engineering and the University for their past and ongoing support and investments in CMGI,” Dr. Cherry says.

Dr. Chaudhari received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from USC and has 14 years of experience as a biomedical imaging scientist. He has worked directly with optical imaging, CT, MRI and PET techniques and has particular expertise in the quantitative and computational aspects of imaging and image analysis. His own research program focuses on multimodal musculoskeletal imaging and he has a track record of collaborative and translational research endeavors that will serve the Center very well.  He also has direct experience of CMGI as a client.

Dr. Julie Sutcliffe will remain in her role as Deputy Director of the Center overseeing our cyclotron and radiochemistry program, and Dr. Cherry will remain at the disposal of the CMGI leadership team in a senior advisory role, especially during the first months of the transition.