
Scott E. Fraser is an American
biophysicist and Provost Professor of Biological Sciences and Biomedical Engineering at the
University of Southern California (USC). He is also the Elizabeth Garrett Chair in Convergent Bioscience and Director of Science Initiatives, where he is helping to launch USC’s Initiative in Convergent Bioscience. In addition, he holds joint appointments in the Departments of Physiology and Biophysics, Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Pediatrics, Radiology, and Ophthalmology.
Fraser and his colleagues are known for their development of
light and
magnetic resonance imaging
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio wave ...
(MRI)
microscopy
Microscopy is the technical field of using microscopes to view objects and areas of objects that cannot be seen with the naked eye (objects that are not within the resolution range of the normal eye). There are three well-known branches of micr ...
techniques for imaging the dynamics of embryonic development. More recently his research team has taken these imaging techniques into disease models and clinical medicine, in areas ranging from
eye disease to
cancer.
Fraser began his scientific career studying
Physics (B.S. with honors,
Harvey Mudd College
Harvey Mudd College (HMC) is a private college in Claremont, California, focused on science and engineering. It is part of the Claremont Colleges, which share adjoining campus grounds and resources. The college enrolls 902 undergraduate students ...
, 1976) and
Biophysics (Ph.D. with distinction,
Johns Hopkins University, 1979) before joining the faculty at the
University of California, Irvine in 1980, where he eventually become Chairman of the Department of Physiology and Biophysics. In 1990, Fraser moved to the
California Institute of Technology (Caltech) to serve as the Anna L. Rosen Professor of Biology, Professor of Engineering and Applied Science, and the Director of the Biological Imaging Center at the
Beckman Institute. He was also the Founding Director of the Caltech Brain Imaging Center from 2002 to 2008, a founding member of the Kavli Nanoscience Institute, and served as the Director of the Rosen Center for Biological Engineering from 2008 to 2012.
In the fall of 2012, Fraser moved to USC to take a Provost Professorship in the
USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, the
Children's Hospital Los Angeles,
Keck School of Medicine
The Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California teaches and trains physicians, biomedical scientists and other healthcare professionals, conducts medical research, and treats patients. Founded in 1885, it is the second oldest ...
, and the
Viterbi School of Engineering
The USC Viterbi School of Engineering (formerly the USC School of Engineering) is the engineering school of the University of Southern California. It was renamed following a $52 million donation by Andrew J. Viterbi, co-founder of Qualcomm.
...
.
Fraser has published more than 200
peer-reviewed
Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work (peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer review ...
scientific papers. He has received 63 U.S.
patents
A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...
for inventions in
biological imaging,
chemistry
Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...
, and
nanotechnology
Nanotechnology, also shortened to nanotech, is the use of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale for industrial purposes. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the particular technological goal o ...
. He is a Fellow of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...
, the European Academy of Sciences, the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the
American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. He was recently nominated to the
National Academy of Inventors, the highest professional distinction accorded to academic inventors. Throughout his career, he has served as an advisor to several different corporations, organizations, and foundations, and has launched several startup companies, such as Clinical Micro Sensors and Varocto Inc.
References
External links
Official web page at USCOfficial Translational Imaging Center web page at USCScott Fraser on Translational Imaging at the 2014 USC Global Conversation event
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, Scott E.
Living people
American biophysicists
Developmental biologists
American experimental physicists
University of Southern California faculty
California Institute of Technology faculty
University of California, Irvine faculty
Harvey Mudd College alumni
Johns Hopkins University alumni
Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering
Year of birth missing (living people)
Members of the National Academy of Medicine