Norbert Pelc's accomplishments are impressive not only due to his numerous publications, but also because so many of his ideas have had a significant clinical impact. While in graduate school (1974-1979), Pelc, now professor emeritus of radiology at Stanford University, contributed to the study of CT noise and artifacts, developing an algorithm for 3D reconstruction from projections. Its use in positron emission tomography (PET) would eventually be called Fully 3D PET. While at GE Medical Systems from 1978-1990, he contributed to the development and refinement of CT systems. This work included improved detector calibration methods that improved image quality, reliability, and manufacturability; developing the first “bone detail” reconstruction method that increased image spatial resolution for systems using quarter-offset alignment; a leading role in the high-level design of the GE CT 9800; developing a reconstruction algorithm that significantly reduced motion artifacts in abdominal and pelvic CT images; contributing to the initial exploration of applications of single and dual energy radiography; and leading R&D efforts on MR Angiography, including 2D, 3D and cine versions of phase contrast. While at Stanford, his contributions have ranged from enabling faster dynamic and cine MR imaging and leading the development of a hybrid system with congruent MR and X-ray fields of view for interventional guidance, to broad CT research encompassing novel system architectures, basic aspects dictating ultimate performance limits, and concepts such as advanced X-ray detectors, dynamic field modulation, and signal-processing methods that improve performance.
An SPIE Fellow Member, Pelc has had a decades-long and high-profile presence at the SPIE Medical Imaging conference. He has presented more than 65 papers, encouraging his students to participate in the annual conference as well. For that conference, he has also contributed as a session organizer, invited speaker, program committee member, and co-chair. In 2018, he served as editor-in-chief for SPIE’s Journal of Medical Imaging and from 2013-2024, served on the journal’s editorial board.
“When I stepped into the role of editor-in-chief of SPIE’s Journal of Medical Imaging in 2024, I felt a bit like the new coach of a seasoned team,” says Vanderbilt University Distinguished Professor and Director of the Vanderbilt Lab for Immersive AI Translation Bennett Landman. “We were on pace for the playoffs, but I had to keep everyone on mission while a stream of new challenges with GenAI and publishing ethics drained our resources. During those first uncertain months, Norbert stepped up to be my first advisory editor, the person who could act as a sounding board and provide ethical oversight. Despite his pending retirement, he was always there for our team, sharing the practical wisdom that comes from having done the hard things himself. Norbert’s career embodies the mission of the Harrison H. Barrett Award: to recognize individuals who unite rigorous image science with tangible benefits to optics and photonics. He has advanced fundamental theory, engineered commercial systems, reduced patient exposure, educated generations of scientists, and strengthened the scholarly forums – especially with SPIE – where our community exchanges ideas. Few contributors match that breadth while maintaining the depth required to change practice rather than merely describe it.”
Meet the other 2026 SPIE Society Award winners.
Read more about the SPIE Harrison H. Barrett Award in Medical Imaging.
