Jean-Baptiste Thibault, who received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering in 2006, was one of seven General Electric scientists and engineers to be named a recipient of the Edison Pioneer Award in 2011.
The award, which was presented by GE chairman and CEO Jeffrey Immelt at a reception at GE’s Global Research Center in May 2011, honors mid-career scientists and engineers for contributions that have impacted the vitality of the company. Dr. Thibault was honored for his efforts in Iterative Reconstruction for Computed Tomography, a breakthrough technology for low-dose, high-quality CT scans.
Dr. Thibault began his work in iterative reconstruction for CT when he was a graduate student working with Prof. Ken Sauer of Notre Dame’s Department of Electrical Engineering. Thibault and Sauer, along with their Purdue collaborator, Prof. Charlie Bouman, saw the development of the technology from its initial research through its recent deployment in the US and abroad under the name Veo.
As part of the award, GE donated $10,000 to an academic or philanthropic organization of Dr. Thibault’s choosing – and Dr. Thibault chose Notre Dame’s Department of Electrical Engineering to be the beneficiary of the award. As a result, one of Notre Dame’s Electrical Engineering graduate students will be supported next year by the Thibault Fellowship.
“I owe much of this success to my graduate studies at Notre Dame, and the great support and collaboration from my advisor, Professor Ken Sauer,” said Thibault. “I am proud that I can now in turn help another student achieve his or her goal of getting a great education at the start of a new career.”
Article originally published by Ken Sauer on Notre Dame’s Electrical Engineering web site