Kian Shaker

Dr. Shaker is currently a Wallenberg postdoctoral fellow and obtained his undergraduate and PhD degree from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden. In his PhD work, he explored non-conventional contrast mechanisms in X-ray imaging (X-ray fluorescence and phase contrast) for a variety of applications: early-stage tumor localization, mammography, and respiratory imaging. Here he developed instrumentation for proof-of-principle in vivo imaging on mice as well as computational modeling (e.g., Monte Carlo and wave-propagation methods). At Stanford, he is interested in exploring intersections between clinical X-ray imaging and global health, particularly targeting the limited availability of chest radiography in many low- and middle-income countries (e.g., relevant for tuberculosis screening). 

King Center Supported Research

2022 - 2023 Academic Year | Global Development Research Funding

Low-cost, Ultra-portable, & Open-source Chest X-ray

Two thirds of the global population lacks meaningful access to medical imaging. To date, technological development in medical imaging has left the world’s poor behind. This project will develop innovative X-ray equipment specifically targeting the global inequitable access to respiratory disease diagnostics (e.g., tuberculosis screening). The design will be low-cost, ultra-portable, and open-source to effectively enable local manufacturing and maintenance and thus sustainable chest X-ray availability on a global level. Shaker's interdisciplinary background with focus on respiratory X-ray imaging makes me uniquely qualified to implement these ideas together with collaborators in the clinical, engineering, and global health domain.