Dr. Xia Shao obtained a B.S. in Medicinal Chemistry from China University of Pharmacy in 1984. After working in the Chinese pharmaceutical industry, she moved to the United States to pursue doctoral research in 1993. Dr. Shao received her Ph.D. degree in Organic Chemistry from Michigan Technological University in 2000, with Dr. Dallas K. Bates as her thesis advisor. She then joined the Division of Nuclear Medicine at the University of Michigan, initially as a postdoctoral fellow in radiochemistry with Dr. Michael R. Kilbourn and Dr. Scott E. Snyder, and subsequently as a faculty member. She is currently a Research Scientist in the University of Michigan Medical School (Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Radiology).

Dr. Shao have pioneered fully automated techniques for production of dozens of carbon-11 and fluorine-18 labeled radiopharmaceuticals and become the first example of a green radiochemistry laboratory in the PET field. The simplified and highly efficient methods allow faster and safer radiopharmaceutical production and easier regulatory approval by agencies such as the FDA, and thus leads to quicker translation of new radiotracers from benchtop to clinical studies. These robust and reliable methods she published in peer-reviewed journals and books are widely applied in various PET facilities around the world.

Dr. Shao's research efforts are involved in multiple aspects of radiochemistry and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging including (1) development of novel radiochemistry techniques, including simplified and highly efficient methods for radiolabeling bioactive molecules; (2) applications of new radiosynthesis methods to current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) radiopharmaceutical manufacture for clinical and preclinical studies; (3) development and bio-evaluation of novel radiotracers for imaging and therapy; (4) investigations into cutting-edge areas combining nuclear imaging and radiation therapy with nanotechnology and multimodality imaging and therapy.