Duan Xu

Duan Xu, PhD, is a Professor in Residence and leads the Imaging Research for Neurodevelopment Laboratory at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He holds a BS in Biomedical Engineering and BA in Integrated Science from Northwestern University (1999) and a PhD in Bioengineering from UCSF and UC Berkeley (2005). His research focuses on developing advanced MRI techniques for pediatric neuroradiology, including ultrahigh-field MR applications in small animal and human studies. Dr. Xu specializes in high-resolution anatomic, diffusion, and spectroscopic MRI to study neurodevelopmental disorders.

He is affiliated with the Advanced Imaging Technologies Resource Group and the Pediatric and Fetal Research Interest Group. His expertise includes MRI, diffusion, spectroscopy, and neurodevelopmental studies. Key awards include a 2021 American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering Fellowship and 2016 Academy of Radiology Research Distinguished Investigator award.

Dr. Xu collaborates with neurobiologists, neurologists, and clinicians to translate hyperpolarized metabolic imaging for clinical use in glioma and neonatal brain injury. His work emphasizes pediatric and fetal brain imaging, with over 200 peer-reviewed publications. He leads NIH-funded research on metabolic MRI for glioma evaluation and ultra-high-field MRI technology.