Yaocai Huang

Google Scholar LinkedIn Email: yh4103@columbia.edu

Research Interests

• Ionizing Radiation Acoustic Imaging (iRAI) for real-time and volumetric radiation dose verification in radiotherapy.
• Photoacoustic Imaging (PA) for functional and molecular imaging of gastrointestinal diseases and tissue characterization.
• Therapeutic Ultrasound for blood–brain barrier opening, neuromodulation, and image-guided therapy.

Education and Training

• Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Columbia University (Jul 2026 – Present)
• Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (Sep 2022 – Jun 2026)
• M.Eng. in Computer Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Sep 2017 – Jul 2020)
• B.Eng. in Automation, University of Science and Technology Beijing (Sep 2013 – Jul 2017)

Publications

• Wei Zhang, Oraiqat Ibrahim, Jiyeon Park, Glebys Gonzalez, Yiming Liu, Yaocai Huang, Sarah Dykstra, Lise Wei, Dale Litzenberg, Kyle C Cuneo, William Mendenhall, Curtis Bryant, Samuel JeanBaptiste, Perry B Johnson, Issam El Naqa, Xueding Wang. Ionizing radiation acoustic beam localization: one step towards "proton surgery". Nature Communication. under review.
• Huang Y, Oraiqat I, Litzenberg D, Subramanian Karthikesh M, Tichacek C, Gonzalez G, Xu Z, Dykstra S, Li B, Hadley S, Moros EG, Zhang M, Carson PL, Cuneo KC, Wang X, El Naqa I, Zhang W. Ionizing radiation acoustic and ultrasound dual-modality imaging for visualization of dose on anatomical structures during radiotherapy. Photoacoustics. 2025; 44:100742. [Link] (Highlighted by Elsevier)
• Huang Y, Wei L, Litzenberg D, Li B, Ma C, Kim H, Liu Y, Zhang C, Carson PL, El Naqa I, Zhang W, Wang X. Towards quantitative ionizing radiation acoustic imaging (iRAI) for radiation dose measurement: validation from simulations to experiments. Medical Physics. 2025; DOI: 10.1002/mp.18091. [Link] (Selected as journal cover)
• Huang Y, Johnson L, Peng X, Lee Yao, Wang X, Higgins P, Xu G. Translational photoacoustic and ultrasound imaging catheter for characterizing gastrointestinal inflammation and fibrosis: A study with a pig model in vivo. Biomedical Optics Express. 2025; DOI: 10.1364/BOE.577556. [Link]
• Huang Y, Kehayias C, Dykstra S, Zhang C, Wei L, Zhang W, Wang X. Towards quantitative ionizing radiation acoustic imaging for radiotherapy dosimetry in a human abdominal phantom. IEEE Biomedical Engineering. under review.
• Ni L, Peng X, Huang Y, Zhu Y, Johnson L, Eaton KA, Dixon J, Wang X, Higgins P, Xu G. Assessing intestinal fibrosis using an endoscopic photoacoustic-ultrasound balloon catheter in rabbits and a human subject. Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis. 2025; 19(9):jjaf155. [Link]
• Cuneo KC, Zhang W, Litzenberg DW, Huang Y, Hadley SW, Oraiqat I, Chang K-W, Gonzalez G, Dykstra S, Zhang M, Moros EG, Carson PL, El Naqa I, Wang X. Clinical pilot study of ionizing radiation acoustic imaging (iRAI) for real-time visualization of radiation therapy dose delivery in cancer patients. International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics. 2025; 123(1). [Link]
• Peng X, Ni L, Johnson L, Huang Y, Zhang W, Wang X, Higgins PDR, Xu G. Characterizing muscle components in intestinal strictures using spectroscopic photoacoustic imaging. Journal of Biophotonics. 19, no. 2 (2026): e70237. [Link]
• [Qiu Y, Huang Y], Zhang Z, Cox BF, Liu R, Hong J, Mu P, Lay HS, Cummins G, Desmulliez MPY, Clutton E, Zheng H, Qiu W, Cochran S. Ultrasound capsule endoscopy with a mechanically scanning micro-ultrasound: a porcine study. Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology. 2020; 46(3):796–804. [Link]
• Su M, Zhang Z, Hong J, Huang Y, Mu P, Yu Y, Liu R, Liang S, Zheng H, Qiu W. Cable-shared dual-frequency catheter for intravascular ultrasound. IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control. 2019; 66(5):849–856. [Link]
• Hong J, Su M, Yu Y, Zhang Z, Liu R, Huang Y, Mu P, Zheng H, Qiu W. A dual-mode imaging catheter for intravascular ultrasound application. IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging. 2019; 38(3):657–663. [Link]

Presentations

• Huang Y, et al. Endoscopic photoacoustic–ultrasound imaging catheter for gastrointestinal inflammation and fibrosis: a clinical study. Photons Plus Ultrasound: Imaging and Sensing 2026, SPIE, San Francisco, CA. January 17–22, 2026, oral.
• Huang Y, et al. Towards quantitative ionizing radiation acoustic imaging for in vivo radiotherapy dosimetry in a human abdominal phantom. Photons Plus Ultrasound: Imaging and Sensing 2026, SPIE, San Francisco, CA. January 17–22, 2026, oral.
• Huang Y, et al. A translational endoscope-compatible photoacoustic and ultrasound imaging catheter for differentiating gastrointestinal inflammation and fibrosis: in vivo swine and patient studies. Photons Plus Ultrasound: Imaging and Sensing 2026, SPIE, San Francisco, CA. January 17–22, 2026, oral.
• Huang Y, et al. Ionizing radiation acoustic and ultrasound dual-modality imaging for 3D visualization of dose on anatomical structure. Photons Plus Ultrasound: Imaging and Sensing 2025, SPIE, San Francisco, CA. January 25–30, 2025, poster.
• Huang Y, et al. Characterizing intestinal obstructions with a photoacoustic-ultrasound balloon catheter: studies with animals and human subjects in vivo. Photons Plus Ultrasound: Imaging and Sensing 2025, SPIE, San Francisco, CA. January 25–30, 2025, oral.
• Huang Y, et al. Quantitative ionizing radiation acoustic imaging for radiation dose measurement: a phantom study validation. Photons Plus Ultrasound: Imaging and Sensing 2024, SPIE, San Francisco, CA. January 27–February 1, 2024, oral.
• Huang Y, et al. A colonoscope-compatible photoacoustic and ultrasonic imaging catheter: initial clinical study in human subjects. Photons Plus Ultrasound: Imaging and Sensing 2024, SPIE, San Francisco, CA. January 27–February 1, 2024, oral.
• Huang Y, et al. In Vitro Study of a Tethered Micro-ultrasound Capsule Endoscopy and 3D Image Reconstruction. IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium (IUS), Glasgow, UK. October 6–9, 2019, oral.
• Huang Y, et al. Development of a mechanically-scanning microultrasound capsule endoscopy device and demonstration in vivo. IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium (IUS), Kobe, Japan. October 22–25, 2018, oral.

Skills

• Programming & Simulation: Extensive experience with MATLAB for signal processing, image reconstruction and quantitative analysis, as well as acoustic modeling using k-Wave and Field II for system simulation, beamforming design and transducer validation.
• Imaging Systems: Hands-on experience with ultrasound, photoacoustic imaging and ionizing radiation acoustic imaging; work with the Verasonics Vantage platform on multi-channel acquisition, custom beamforming and real-time imaging; involvement in endoscopic and catheter-based imaging system development.
• Algorithms & Analysis: Image reconstruction, multi-modality image registration, quantitative dose mapping, and noise-reduction and sensitivity-compensation methods.
• Engineering Tools: SolidWorks (design, 3D printing, machining); Amira (3D image visualization).