iSRS 2025 Keynote Speakers

Cathy Sue Cutler, PhD

Cathy Sue Cutler, PhD, FSNMMI, is chair of the Isotope Research and Production Department at Brookhaven National Laboratory and serves as president of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) for 2024-25. She holds a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry and a PhD in inorganic chemistry from the University of Cincinnati, where she also completed a postdoctoral fellowship in analytical chemistry.

Cathy spent 17 years at the Missouri University Research Reactor, where she served as a research scientist and professor at the Nuclear Sciences and Engineering Institute. Throughout her career, she has been deeply involved with SNMMI, serving in leadership roles such as president-elect, vice president-elect, secretary/treasurer, and president of the SNMMI Center for Molecular Imaging Innovation and Translation. She has also chaired several key committees, including the Advocacy Domain, Government Relations, and Radiopharmaceuticals Committees.

A distinguished leader in the field of nuclear medicine, Cathy has received many awards, including the Department of Energy Secretarial Honors Award in 2024 and Brookhaven National Laboratory’s Pinnacle Award in Science and Technology in 2022. She holds 12 patents, has published 95 peer-reviewed articles, and contributed to eight book chapters. Cathy is also an active member of organizations like the European Association of Nuclear Medicine and the Society of Radiopharmaceutical Sciences.

Cathy remains dedicated to advancing nuclear medicine, advocating for improved patient access to innovative imaging technologies, and addressing workforce shortages in the field. She is also focused on enhancing education and training opportunities to ensure the continued growth of nuclear medicine professionals.

Prof Matthias Herth

Matthias Herth obtained his PhD in 2009 from Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany, under the supervision of Professor Frank Rösch. Following his graduation, he moved to Denmark, where he joined the group of Professor Gitte M. Knudsen as a postdoctoral researcher. In 2015, he was appointed Associate Professor at the University of Copenhagen, and since 2024, he has held a full professorship at the same institution.

His research focuses on the development of innovative radiolabeling techniques and theranostic strategies, including pretargeting approaches. A particular emphasis of his group is the advancement of radiohalogens for therapeutic applications, with particular emphasis on developing novel chemistry to enable the clinical translation of 211At-labeled radiopharmaceuticals.

Prof Maria Kavallaris

Maria Kavallaris is Professor and Founding Director of the Australian Centre for NanoMedicine at UNSW Sydney, and Head of Translational Cancer NanoMedicine Theme at the Children’s Cancer Institute, Australia. Working at the interface of medicine, science and engineering, their innovation in driving interdisciplinary research in cancer nanomedicine has led to industry and clinical linkages for the development of cancer therapeutics and devices. Contributions to innovation are recognised through awards including the 2017 Premiers Science and Engineering Award for Leadership in Innovation in NSW, 2019 Lemberg Medal, and 2021 ANSTO Eureka Prize for Innovative use of Technology. She is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences and the Royal Society of New South Wales. In 2019, Maria was appointed a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia. In 2020, was named the NSW Woman of the Year, in 2022 received the Presidential Medal for Outstanding Contributions from the Republic of Cyprus, and in 2023 won the Royal Society of NSW Walter Burfitt Prize.

Prof Mikako Ogawa

Mikako Ogawa is a professor of Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University since 2015. After graduate from Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, Japan in 2000, she was working for National Institute for Longevity Sciences, National Cardiovascular Center Research Institute, and Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Japan.

She received PhD in 2007 from Kyoto University. She was also worked as a visiting fellow in Molecular Imaging Program NCI/NIH, USA from 2007-2009.

Her research interest are “theranostics”, combination of molecular imaging and targeted therapy, especially for nuclear and optical imaging technologies.