Jessica Hsu

Areas of Expertise

• Nanomedicine, molecular imaging, theranostics

HHS Signature Research Area(s)

• Healthy Lifestyles and Vital Longevity

School of Health Sciences Research Area(s)

• Imaging Sciences
• Medical Physics

Biography

Dr. Hsu received her BS in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2013. She then worked in the energy sector for two years before earning her PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 2021, where her doctoral research focused on developing silver sulfide nanoparticles for multimodal X-ray and optical imaging. Dr. Hsu completed her postdoctoral training at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2025, where she expanded her research into polymeric nanoparticles for cancer phototherapy, naturally derived nanomaterials for the treatment of organ injury, and radiotracers for immunoPET imaging. Her research program focuses on the development of multifunctional nanotheranostics for image-guided  (PET, CT, MRI, optical) therapeutic applications (radiotherapy, immunotherapy, phototherapy). These platforms can also be used to investigate mechanisms at the nano-bio interface to better modulate immune responses, the tumor microenvironment, and other biological processes.

Education

• BS, Nuclear Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2013
• PhD, Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, 2021

Websites

• NanoEngineering for Advanced Theranostics (NEAT) Research Lab

Selected Honors/Awards

• WIMIN Research Scholar Award (World Molecular Imaging Congress) - 2025
• Best Oral Presentation Award (Materials Research Society) - 2024
• First Place Poster Prize (Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging) - 2023
• Brody Family Postdoctoral Fellowship - 2021-2022
• NSF Graduate Research Fellowship - 2017-2020