Joel Lecture Series
The Joel Chair is the oldest established Chair in Medical Physics in the world and is currently held by Prof Robert Speller of UCL Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering.
100 Years of Medical Physics
In 2020, we celebrated 100 years of the Joel Chair and looked back on the last century of Medical Physics and reflect on how far the field has progressed — from the early days of x-rays to today’s cutting-edge healthcare technology.
Meet Professor Robert Speller
Professor Robert Speller is a distinguished physicist and academic at University College London, holding the title of Joel Professor of Physics Applied to Medicine. Originally specialising in cosmic ray physics, he transitioned his expertise to medical physics in 1973, and by 1983 he was appointed Head of Radiation Physics at UCL.
His expansive research portfolio encompasses the development of advanced sensors and detector systems, pioneering studies in scattered photon fields, and innovative applications such as semiconductor Compton cameras for proton therapy verification. Robert has co-authored several hundred publications, reflecting his strong influence in both the physics and medical imaging communities—with over 5,500 citations to his work.
Beyond his research contributions, Ribert plays a vital leadership role in education and mentorship. He heads the Radiation Physics Group, guiding projects in X‑ray computed tomography, diffraction-based breast-tissue analysis, and detector optimisation for therapy monitoring.
His legacy also includes establishing the Robert Speller Prize for Best Paper by a PhD Student in recognition of outstanding PhD research within our department.
Previous Joel Lectures
| Year | Speaker | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Prof David Holder | Fast neural Electrical Impedance Tomography (fnEIT) |
| 2024 | Prof Sandro Olivo | And yet it bends - 25 years of reflections on (X-ray) refraction |
| 2023 | Prof Clare Elwell | Engineering solutions to transform how, when and where we can image the brain |
| 2022 | Prof Adam Gibson | Medical imaging applied to heritage |
| 2020 | Prof Jem Hebden | Centenary Special - Desert Island Docs |
| 2019 | Prof Gary Royle | Treating Cancer with Radiation |
| 2018 | Prof Robert Speller | Space, Time and Radiation Physics |
| 2017 | Prof Chris Clark | Quantitative MRI and the quest to alter clinical practice |
| 2016 | Dr Sarah Bohndiek | Shedding light on tumour metabolism |
| 2015 | Dr Andrzej Kaperek | Can nuclear particle therapy fill a gap? |
| 2014 | Prof Molly Stevens | Healing the body with materials |
| 2013 | Prof Peter Wells | Inside the human body: Seeing with ultrasound |
| 2012 | Prof Steve Webb | Rotation radiotherapy: A revolution |
