Rate My Professor David Brenner

David J. Brenner is the Higgins Professor of Radiation Biophysics (in Radiation Oncology) and of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia University. He directs the Center for Radiological Research and the Radiological Research Accelerator Facility at Columbia University Medical Center. Brenner earned a BA in Physics from Oxford University in 1974, an MSc in Radiation Physics from the University of London in 1976, an MA in Physics and Philosophy from Oxford University in 1979, and a PhD in Physics from the University of Surrey in 1980. His research focuses on the biological effects of both high-dose and low-dose ionizing radiation, including applications in cancer radiotherapy such as improvements for cervical and prostate cancers and investigations into charged particle therapy for pancreatic cancer, as well as assessments of radiation risks from medical imaging, nuclear scenarios, and space travel. He has also advanced the development of far-UVC light as a safe method for inactivating drug-resistant bacteria and airborne viruses.

Brenner has held his current professorship since 2008 and previously served as Professor of Radiation Oncology and Public Health. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board and has contributed to committees including the BEIR VI Committee on radon. His honors include the Oxford University Weldon Prize in 2015, the Radiation Research Society Failla Gold Medal Award in 2011, and the Robert D. Moseley Award from the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements in 1992. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications on topics such as radiation biodosimetry, metabolomics after radiation exposure, and germicidal efficacy of UV light. Brenner serves on editorial boards including Radiation and Environmental Biophysics and has delivered lectures such as the Herbert L. Abrams Lecturer at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.