RSNA Member Spotlight: Yashbir Singh, PhD
Learn more about a fellow RSNA member
Yashbir Singh, PhD, MEng, is an associate professor of radiology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. He earned his bachelor's degree from the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Rohilkhand University in Bareilly, India and his master's degree from the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad. He earned a PhD in biomedical engineering at the Chung Yuan Christian University in Taiwan and completed a German Academic Exchange Service fellowship in biomedical engineering at the Otto-von-Guericke University Medical School in Magdeburg.
Dr. Singh’s research brings together biomedical engineering, cancer data science and AI to improve how medical imaging data is interpreted and applied in patient care. His work includes large language models and imaging biomarkers in primary sclerosing cholangitis and cholangiocarcinoma.
Dr. Singh’s work has been recognized through several RSNA research and education awards, including an R&E Foundation Research Scholar Grant (2025), the RSNA Trainee Research Prize (2024, 2025) and the Honored Educator Award (2026).
An active RSNA member, Dr. Singh serves on the Radiology: Imaging Cancer Trainee Editorial Board (TEB) and hosts the journal’s podcast. He serves on the Foundation’s Radiology Research Trainee Grant Study Section and was previously a member of its Emerging Issues Grant Review Panel. He is also an early-career reviewer for the Center for Scientific Review at the National Institutes of Health.
What or who sparked your interest in radiology?
I was drawn to science and mathematics from an early age, and that curiosity carried me through my doctorate and into the conferences where I first encountered medical imaging research.
The turning point came after I joined the radiology department at Mayo Clinic and began applying AI to cholangiocarcinoma and primary sclerosing cholangitis. Attending patient-focused conferences showed me the genuine, unmet need these technologies could address, and that is what made the work feel urgent to me.
What continues to fascinate me is that the human eye cannot detect certain subtle patterns in an image, but an algorithm can. There is something remarkable about being able to surface information that was there all along, waiting to be seen.
What has been your best professional accomplishment?
Receiving a RSNA Research Scholar Grant stands out, along with the 2026 AI-Powered Science and Discovery Award in Cancer from the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center and Generative AI Program, and the 2026 Clinician Career Development Award in Transplant Research, honoring Brigid Kiley.
I was also honored to receive the RSNA Trainee Research Prize and the Honored Educator Award. More than the recognition itself, these awards gave me the resources and the confidence to pursue ambitious questions and they deepened my commitment to the work.
What has been the biggest challenge you have faced in your career?
Learning to balance personal well-being with career mobility is important. Building a research career across four countries meant repeatedly starting over: new institutions, new languages, new systems and each time, distance from family and familiar support. Every move opened doors scientifically, but I underestimated how much energy it takes to rebuild a life alongside a career. Over time, I have learned that sustaining the work requires protecting the parts of life that have nothing to do with it.
What RSNA resources do you use to assist you with your professional development and in your daily practice?
I attend the annual meeting every year. The week is fast-paced and densely packed, but I always come away having been exposed to a remarkable range of material, from core imaging education to the newest innovations in the field.
I also serve on the Radiology: Imaging Cancer TEB and host the journal's podcast, which has been one of the most rewarding parts of my professional life. It lets me meet leading researchers in cancer imaging and learn directly from them. The mentorship I have received through the journal has been exceptional and that guidance has shaped my growth as much as any single project.
When you’re not working, how do you like to spend your free time?
I am passionate about food and wine. I love to cook and my partner and I are always seeking out new restaurants to try. We also travel as often as we can, and we are firmly in the habit of finding a new show to watch together.
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