7/14/2025 Zhi-Pei Liang
Zhi-Pei Liang, a professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s Grainger College of Engineering, was honored with the prestigious Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Engineering in Medicine & Biology Society (EMBS) Academic Career Achievement Award at the opening ceremony of the 47th annual EMBS international conference in Copenhagen on Monday, July 14, 2025. According to EMBS President Erika Ross Ellison, Liang was selected to receive the top EMBS award "for outstanding technical contributions to magnetic resonance imaging, and leadership and education contributions to advancing the field of biomedical engineering.”
Written by Zhi-Pei Liang
Zhi-Pei Liang, a professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s Grainger College of Engineering, was honored with the prestigious Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Engineering in Medicine & Biology Society (EMBS) Academic Career Achievement Award at the opening ceremony of the 47th annual EMBS international conference in Copenhagen on Monday, July 14, 2025.
According to EMBS President Erika Ross Ellison, Liang was selected to receive the top EMBS award "for outstanding technical contributions to magnetic resonance imaging, and leadership and education contributions to advancing the field of biomedical engineering.”
“I feel greatly honored and humbled by this special recognition,” said Liang. “I have been a member of the EMBS for my entire career, starting out as a student member. It means a lot to be recognized by my international EMBS colleagues whom I have had the honor and pleasure of working with for many years."
Liang has long been a dedicated member of EMBS, which is the world’s largest international society of biomedical engineers. He served as its president from 2011-2012 and received its Technical Achievement Award in 2014 and its Distinguished Service Award in 2015.
Liang’s research is in the general area of magnetic resonance imaging, ranging from spin physics, signal processing, machine learning, to biomedical applications. “Magnetic resonance is a fundamental physical phenomenon. My research group has been working with magnetic resonance in biological systems for more than 30 years to develop advanced imaging technology for unraveling the mystery of biology and disease processes,” Liang said.
Liang’s research has led to a new class of machine learning-based MRI methods to achieve ultrafast, high-resolution dynamic imaging and label-free molecular imaging with significant practical impact, especially for cardiac imaging and brain imaging.
“We have done a few cool things over the years,” said Liang with a smile. “It is very satisfying to see that our work can help save lives.” Liang stressed that his accomplishments would not have been possible without the opportunities to work together with his Illinois colleagues and students. “Illinois is really a very special place to do MRI work because of the unique academic and research culture created by pioneers in the field.” One such pioneer, Nobel Laureate Paul Lauterbur, worked with Liang for 17 years.
While Liang has been working in the MRI field for over 30 years, he still greatly enjoys his research. “It’s my love,” said Liang. “Even though so much work has been done by many great people in the field, MRI is still a very vibrant field with many exciting opportunities.”
Liang and his research group are actively taking advantage of those opportunities to develop advanced technologies for next-generation AI-powered MRI systems that can have greater impact on healthcare. An example of his group’s recent technology breakthrough in MRI was reported in their recent paper published in Nature Biomedical Engineering.
“I have an amazing group who aspire to make the impossible possible. It is truly a joy to work with them to advance healthcare technology. My award really belongs to them as well,” said Liang.
Liang has received many accolades for his technical innovations and visionary leadership. Among his awards and recognitions, Liang is a Fellow of IEEE, the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. He was elected to the International Academy for Medical and Biological Engineering in 2012 and the US National Academy of Inventors in 2021 and received the Gold Medal from the International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine in 2022.
Liang is the Franklin W. Woeltge Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Chair of the Computational Imaging Group in the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. He also has affiliate appointments with the Department of Bioengineering, the Carle Illinois College of Medicine, the Coordinated Science Lab, the Information Trust Institute and the Cancer Center at Illinois.
In addition to his research and teaching activities, Liang is currently serving a three-year term as Chair of the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering. He is also serving as a Deputy Editor of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, the flagship journal of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
More information about Liang’s research and professional activities is available here.