For over fifty years, IEEE and the IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society have been involved in the science, engineering and technology associated with nuclear and plasma sciences.

The IEEE Marie Sklodowska-Curie Award, sponsored by the IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society, was established in August 2008 and is presented annually to an individual or to individuals on a team for outstanding contributions in the fields of nuclear and plasma sciences and engineering.

The areas of technology that are eligible for recognition of this award are those associated with nuclear and plasma sciences and engineering. This covers a fairly broad scope of activities, but the unifying themes are ionizing radiation and ionized gases, especially their behavior, measurement and effects. Specific areas include, but are not limited to, radiation instrumentation, radiation effects, nuclear medical imaging, plasma science, pulsed power, particle accelerators, controlled nuclear fusion and computer applications. Criteria considered by the IEEE Marie Sklodowska-Curie Award Selection Committee include importance of individual scientific contributions, importance of scientific contributions made by teams led by the candidate, seminal nature of the contributions, innovation/originality, societal benefit, impact on the profession and the quality of the nomination.

Simon R. Cherry’s expertise in developing molecular imaging systems incorporating positron emission tomography (PET) is driving advances in biomedicine and healthcare. Cherry created the first microPET scanner to evaluate radiopharmaceuticals and drugs in small animals. Overcoming the challenges of imaging small animals has been instrumental in allowing researchers and clinicians to gain a better understanding of diseases and potential human therapies. He also developed the first hybrid PET/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners for even more powerful preclinical imaging applications. His discovery that many radionuclides used in biomedical research produce Cerenkov luminescence and can be imaged using optical cameras has created one of the fastest-growing areas in molecular imaging. Cherry is currently working on developing the first total-body human PET scanner.

An IEEE Fellow, Cherry is a professor with the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Radiology at the University of California, Davis, CA, USA.