Taiga Yamaya

Group Leader of the Imaging Physics Group
Deputy Directo
​Department of Advanced Nuclear Medicine Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), Japan


​​​Taiga Yamaya, Ph.D., is the Group Leader of the Imaging Physics Group and Deputy Director of the Department of Advanced Nuclear Medicine Sciences at the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST) in Japan. His research focuses on the development of next-generation positron emission tomography (PET) systems. He received his Ph.D. in Physics and Engineering from the Tokyo Institute of Technology in 2000. He also holds visiting professorships at Chiba University, Tohoku University, and Yokohama City University.
Dr. Yamaya has received more than 25 awards, including the First Prize of the German Innovation Award (2012) and the Hal Anger Lectureship from the Society of Nuclear Medicine (2023). He has authored over 250 peer-reviewed publications and holds more than 50 registered patents.
Since becoming a principal investigator in 2009, his research group has developed 23 novel PET systems—believed to be a world record for the number of PET prototypes developed in a single research laboratory. Among these, four systems have reached clinical testing, and three have been commercialized.
Dr. Higuchi’s work continues to shape the future of diagnostic imaging and therapeutic development in neurodegeneration, establishing him as a global leader in translational neuroscience and PET technology innovation.

Advancement of Brain PET Imaging Acquisition Technologies

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