Peder Larson

Peder Larson is a Professor in Residence at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, where he serves as Principal Investigator for The Larson Advanced Imaging Technologies Research Group. Based at the UCSF Mission Bay campus in Byers Hall as part of the Quantitative Biosciences Institute, his research group takes an engineering-driven approach to develop advanced medical imaging methods, primarily focusing on MRI with some work in CT and PET.

Dr. Larson's research interests span radio frequency pulse design, pulse sequence development, novel imaging strategies, and optimized reconstruction methods for MRI, with particular emphasis on applications in Hyperpolarized carbon-13 agents and semi-solid tissue imaging with ultrashort echo time (UTE) methods. His group works on metabolic imaging with hyperpolarized MRI for cancer imaging, pediatric lung MRI methods, myelin MRI with ultrashort echo time techniques, quantitative imaging on PET/MRI systems, and AI-based analysis of prostate and kidney cancer imaging data. The team frequently draws on backgrounds in engineering, physics, biology, and chemistry to analyze complex imaging data and provide novel information about tissue structure and function.

His research publications and educational presentations from 2017-2019 demonstrate a strong focus on hyperpolarized MRI technology, covering everything from fundamental physics to specific clinical applications in cancer, cardiac imaging, and neurology. His work shows a progression from theoretical foundations to practical implementations across multiple organ systems.

As an educator, Dr. Larson has developed significant educational resources including the 'Introduction to Principles of MRI' eBook, edited 'Hyperpolarized Carbon-13 Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy,' and created numerous educational materials, courses, and software tools for MRI education. He teaches UCSF Biomedical Imaging 201: Principles of Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Bioengineering 297: Hyperpolarized MR Seminar.

Dr. Larson joined UCSF as a post-doctoral scholar in 2007 under Dan Vigneron, PhD, and became faculty in 2011. He completed his undergraduate and graduate studies at Stanford University with Dwight Nishimura, conducting doctoral research on 'MRI of Semi-solid Tissues.' He emphasizes the importance of understanding patient experiences by having his team volunteer for medical and research imaging themselves, stating 'It is important to understand what your patient and research subject experience is going to be.'