Luca Caucci, PhD

Assistant Professor, Optical Sciences and Medical Imaging

Luca Caucci, PhD received his doctorate in optical sciences from the University of Arizona in 2012 and has been an assistant research professor in the Department of Medical Imaging, since 2014.  He has worked in the Center for Gamma Ray Imaging since 2006.

Dr. Caucci received a bachelor's degree in computer science from the University of Bologna, Italy in 2002, a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of Pisa, Italy in 2005, a master's degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Arizona in 2007, and a master's degree in optical sciences from the University of Arizona in 2009. 

Dr. Caucci's current research interests are in medical imaging and computing. Applications include task-based assessment of image quality, optimal methods for signal detection and parameter estimation, adaptive systems, and fast computational methods on parallel architectures for list-mode data processing for PET, SPECT, and charged-particle emission tomography. In 2011, Dr. Caucci was named Outstanding Graduate Student at the College of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona.

Dr. Caucci was elected Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors. He is the principal investigator of a National Institutes of Health grant titled “Emission Computed Tomography and Parallel Computing,” and he has been granted six U.S. patents.

Appointed Image Review Officer for the Department of Medical Imaging, Dr. Caucci oversees the process of ensuring declassification of images used for training and educational purposes.

Research Interests: 

Detection, estimation, list-mode data, parallel computing

Degrees
  • MS: University of Arizona: Optical Sciences, 2012
  • MS: University of Arizona: Electrical and Computer Engineering, 2007
  • PhD: University of Arizona: Optical Sciences, 2012
Honors and Awards
  • Elected Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors

Select Publications

2020

Omer, K., L. Caucci, and M. Kupinski, "Limitations of CNNs for Approximating the Ideal Observer Despite Quantity of Training Data or Depth of Network.", J Imaging Sci Technol, vol. 64, issue 6, pp. 604081-6040811, 2020 Nov. PMCID: PMC8101292  PMID: 33967570

2019

Caucci, L., Z. Liu, A. K. Jha, H. Han, L. R. Furenlid, and H. H. Barrett, "Towards continuous-to-continuous 3D imaging in the real world.", Phys Med Biol, vol. 64, issue 18, pp. 185007, 2019 09 18. PMCID: PMC7038643  PMID: 31470417

2017

Ding, Y., L. Caucci, and H. H. Barrett, "Charged-particle emission tomography.", Med Phys, vol. 44, issue 6, pp. 2478-2489, 2017 Jun.

2016

Caucci, L., K. J. Myers, and H. H. Barrett, "Radiance and photon noise: imaging in geometrical optics, physical optics, quantum optics and radiology.", Opt Eng, vol. 55, issue 1, 2016 Jan. PMCID: PMC7058161  PMID: 32139948