Using the power of mathematics, Professor Adrian Nachman, a faculty member in The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Toronto and newly elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, is redefining what’s possible in medical imaging.
Current ultrasound technology, commonly used in hospitals and clinics to confirm breast cancer diagnoses, produces images that are too noisy for early detection. Professor Nachman’s research seeks to change that. By solving complex mathematical inverse problems, his team aims to extract clearer, more reliable information from ultrasound signals—opening the door to earlier and more accurate cancer detection.
“Ultrasound transducers cause different kinds of echoes that vary with tissue,” explains Prof. Nachman. “If I can mathematically recover the speed of sound—which is different in blood, muscle, and cancer—then I can create a perfect picture of the inside of the body.”
The implications of this work extend far beyond the lab. “Eventually, my work may impact the daughters or granddaughters of average Canadians,” he reflects. “There’s a joy to figuring out things that nobody else has figured out in the world. That’s what keeps me going.”
Professor Nachman’s election to the Royal Society of Canada, the senior national bilingual council of distinguished Canadian scholars, humanists, scientists, and artists, recognizes his exceptional contributions to science and his leadership in advancing mathematical innovation for the betterment of Canada and the world.