image: Irène Buvat, PhD, receives SNMMI 2026 George Charles de Hevesy Nuclear Pioneer Award.
Credit: Courtesy of SNMMI.
LOS ANGELES --Irène Buvat, PhD, a leading expert in molecular imaging quantification, is the recipient of SNMMI's George Charles de Hevesy Nuclear Pioneer Award, presented at the society's 2026 Annual Meeting, May 30 through June 2 in Los Angeles. Buvat's work has fundamentally changed how the field measures, models, and interprets molecular imaging data, laying the scientific groundwork for more accurate diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
Buvat is director of research at Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and head of the Imaging, innovative RadIotherapy, and Systems medicine (IRIS) lab at Institut Curie in Orsay, France. She is recognized for her significant contribution to the understanding of quantification issues in SPECT and PET imaging, advancing precision medicine. Buvat established the respective impacts of scatter, attenuation, and limited spatial resolution on the accuracy of image quantitation in SPECT and PET, helping improve quantitative reliability and diagnostic accuracy.
Building on that foundation, Buvat collaborated with colleagues to develop tools and biomarkers now used by researchers worldwide, including the GATE open-source software for Monte Carlo simulation of SPECT, PET, CT, and radiation therapy; the LIFEx freeware for radiomics and characterization of tumor heterogeneity, which today has more than 11,000 users worldwide; the ComBat method for harmonizing biomarkers in PET; and the Dmax dissemination biomarker for quantifying cancer spread. In recent years, she has become one of the field s most influential innovators and educators in the use of artificial intelligence in nuclear medicine and medical imaging.
"Dr. Buvat is a remarkable scientist whose career and contributions perfectly embody the legacy of the de Hevesy award," said SNMMI President Jean-Luc C. Urbain, MD, PhD, CPE, FASNC. "Her pioneering work in SPECT and PET quantification, the development of globally adopted simulation and radiomics tools, and her visionary leadership in artificial intelligence have shaped our field into what it is today and will help guide our future direction. We are proud to recognize her extraordinary impact. "
Buvat received a magister in physics from Ecole Normale Supèrieure Ulm in Paris and a doctorate in physics from Paris 11 University in Orsay, France. She began her career at CNRS, spending 11 years as a junior researcher. In 2006, she became a director of research at CNRS and continues in that role today. She has published 188 articles and 70 proceedings in peer-reviewed journals, two books, and 14 book chapters. Buvat is also an accomplished speaker, having presented at more than 135 conferences worldwide.
Buvat serves as an associate editor for The Journal of Nuclear Medicine and holds editorial board positions at the European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging and EJNMMI Research journals. She is a member of the SNMMI AI Task Force and of the International Biomarker Standardization Initiative. Her many honors include the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Marie Sklodowska-Curie Award, the SNMMI Hal Anger Lectureship Award, and the SNMMI Edward J. Hoffman Memorial Award.
"Receiving the de Hevesy award is an extraordinary honor, which actually recognizes the collective work of my outstanding colleagues and collaborators," said Buvat. "As our field evolves and artificial intelligence opens many new possibilities, we have to be even more demanding in terms of image quantitative accuracy and assessment of AI-driven methods to ensure that new discoveries lead to better understanding of diseases and meaningful improvements in patient care."
Each year, SNMMI presents the George Charles de Hevesy Nuclear Medicine Pioneer Award to an individual for outstanding contributions to the field of nuclear medicine. De Hevesy received the 1943 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on radioactive tracers to track biological processes in living organisms, establishing the scientific principles underlying nuclear medicine and earning him recognition as the father of the field. SNMMI has given the de Hevesy Award every year since 1960 to honor groundbreaking work in the field of nuclear medicine.
The list of previous recipients of this award includes numerous Nobel laureates, including Ernest Lawrence, who built the world s first cyclotron for the production of radionuclides, and Glenn Seaborg, who discovered more than half a dozen new elements.
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About the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) is an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to advancing nuclear medicine, molecular imaging, and theranostics--precision medicine that allows diagnosis and treatment to be tailored to individual patients in order to achieve the best possible outcomes. For more information, visit snmmi.org.