Staff Scientist
Joshua is a Staff Applied Physicist in the Applied Nuclear Physics Program. His research is focused on instrumentation for medical and molecular imaging, radiation detection and mapping systems, and nuclear security and nonproliferation applications. The major goal of his research is to develop detectors and imaging systems which enable new capabilities and advance imaging sensitivity and resolution. His active projects include development and demonstration of real-time, 3D simultaneous mapping of gamma-ray and neutron sources, channel-dense readout electronics that perform real-time digital signal processing on FPGA, detectors and imaging systems with ultra-precise time resolution, and imaging detectors that maintain or advance state-of-the-art performance at greatly reduced cost.
Education and Training
Stanford Molecular Imaging Scholars Trainee Fellowship 2013-2017
Ph.D., Nuclear Engineering, University of Tennessee, 2013
M.S., Nuclear Engineering, University of Tennessee, 2011
B.S., Nuclear Engineering, University of Tennessee, 2009
Selected Publications
Cates, J. W.; Levin, C. S.; “Electronics method to advance the coincidence time resolution with bismuth germanate,” Physics in Medicine and Biology, vol. 64, no. 17, September 2019.
Cates, J. W.; Gundacker, S.; Auffray, E.; Lecoq, P.; Levin, C. S.; “Improved single photon time resolution for analog SiPMs with front end readout that reduces influence of electronic noise,” Physics in Medicine and Biology, vol. 63, no. 18, September 2018.
Cates, J. W.; Bieniosek, M. F.; Levin, C. S.; “Highly multiplexed signal readout for a time-of-flight positron emission tomography detector based on silicon photomultipliers,” SPIE: Journal of Medical Imaging, vol. 4, no. 1, 011012, March 2017.
Cates, J. W.; Levin, C. S.; “Advances in coincidence timing resolution for PET,” Physics in Medicine and Biology, vol. 61, no. 6, pp. 2255-2264, March 2016.
Cates, J. W.; Vinke, R.; Levin, C. S.; “Analytical Calculation of the Lower Bound on Timing Resolution for PET Scintillation Detectors Comprising High-Aspect-Ratio Scintillation Crystal Elements,” Physics in Medicine and Biology, vol. 60, no. 13, pp. 2879-2892, June 2015.
Cates, J. W.; Hayward, J. P.; Zhang, X.; “Significant Increases in Light Extraction from YAP:Ce Scintillators with a Uniform Surface Taper Modification at the Exit Boundary,” Nuclear Science, IEEE Transactions on, vol. 60, no. 5, pp. 3995-4001, October 2013.
Cates, J. W.; Hayward, J. P.; Zhang, X.; “Measurement of Achievable Timing Resolution of ZnO:Ga Films,” Nuclear Science, IEEE Transactions on, vol. 60, no. 2, pp. 3127-3133, August 2013.
Contact
jcates@lbl.gov