Simon Cherry Receives ESMI Award for Significant, Long-Term Contributions to Imaging Science

Simon R. Cherry, a Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus of biomedical engineering at the University of California, Davis, has received the 2026 ESMI Award from the European Society for Molecular Imaging. 

The organization’s namesake honor is among the most prestigious handed out in imaging science, celebrating a researcher for their outstanding long-term contributions to the interdisciplinary field.   

Cherry has transformed imaging science across his more than 35-year career. Among his many achievements is his work to engineer the world’s first total body PET scanner, EXPLORER, alongside Professor of Biomedical Engineering Ramsey Badawi.

First installed at UC Davis Health in 2019, EXPLORER rapidly provides pictures of a patient’s whole body at a resolution much higher than traditional PET scanners. The pathbreaking technology enables new insights into biomedical research and improves clinical practices. 

“[Cherry] truly deserves this recognition for his outstanding scientific contributions to the field and for his unwavering perseverance, passion and visionary thinking,” reads ESMI’s award citation. “Beyond being such an outstanding, open-minded, curious scientist, [he] is a mentor, a role model and a friend to so many.”

On receiving the recognition, Cherry said, “I am deeply honored to receive this award from ESMI, but this has only been possible because of the incredible contributions of the members of my lab, past and present, as well as terrific collaborators.”