PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Milan Sonka

Milan Sonka is a medical imaging researcher whose work applies AI to clinical prediction. He earned a doctorate from Czech Technical University in Prague in 1983 and joined the University of Iowa's College of Engineering in 1990. With Vaclav Hlavac and Roger Boyle, he coauthored Image Processing, Analysis and Machine Vision in 1993. He became associate dean for graduate programs and research in 2014, was elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors in 2021, and applied AI to eye-treatment response and hospital-admission prediction in work from 2024 and 2025. As of October 2026, he directs Iowa's AI Initiative and co-directs the Iowa Institute for Biomedical Imaging.

Badges

Timeline

  1. 1983

    Doctorate from Prague

    He earns a doctorate from Czech Technical University in Prague in 1983.

  2. 1990

    Joining Iowa engineering

    He joins the College of Engineering at the University of Iowa in 1990. His administrative roles include chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and associate dean for graduate programs, research, and faculty.

  3. 1993

    Image Processing, Analysis and Machine Vision

    With Vaclav Hlavac and Roger Boyle, he coauthors Image Processing, Analysis and Machine Vision in 1993, a textbook on digital image processing, image analysis, and machine vision.

  4. 2014

    Associate dean at Iowa

    In 2014, he becomes associate dean for graduate programs and research at the University of Iowa's College of Engineering.

  5. 2021

    A National Academy fellowship

    He is elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors in 2021.

  6. 2024–2025

    AI for clinical decisions

    In 2024, he and Elliott Sohn use AI to predict the effectiveness of anti-VEGF treatments for age-related macular degeneration. In 2025, he coauthors a proof-of-concept study that applies machine learning to predict hospital admission for older adults with fall-related injuries.

  7. As of October 2026

    Director of Iowa's AI Initiative

    As of October 2026, he is a professor of electrical and computer engineering and the Lowell G. Battershell Chair in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Iowa, director of the Iowa Initiative for Artificial Intelligence, and co-director of the Iowa Institute for Biomedical Imaging. His research covers automated medical image analysis, machine-learning image analysis, and segmentation. In February 2026, he develops and teaches HawkAI-204, a research course in analytic and predictive AI/ML methods.

Career

  1. Since 1990University of IowaProfessor; Lowell G. Battershell Chair in Biomedical Engineering, Associate Dean for Graduate Programs and Research
  2. University of Iowa College of EngineeringChair

Education

  1. 1983Czech Technical University in PragueDoctorate

From the biography.

  1. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes University of Iowa. We estimate where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led. Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads with 467 former students, including 291 recorded doctorates.
  2. The company share of AI researchers’ top papers was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974Includes University of Iowa. We estimate where the people shaping AI worked when their most-cited papers appeared: the company share was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974, and Google led all organizations in 2020–2024.
  3. The United States employs an estimated 48% of people shaping AIIncludes Czech Technical University in Prague. We estimate where the people shaping AI work today, how universities, companies and research institutes split across countries, and how country shares have changed since the 1960s.
  4. Google has the highest combined h-index among AI organizationsIncludes Czech Technical University in Prague. We estimate that Google holds the highest combined h-index at 8,016, while universities account for 73% of the deduplicated total across AI organizations.

Colleagues

People named in this biography, and people with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Milan Sonka yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Milan Sonka , PhD | University of Iowa Research Foundation - Office of the Vice President for Research | The University of Iowa uirf.research.uiowa.edu. Checked 21 October 2026.
  2. Milan Sonka named to National Academy of Inventors | College of Engineering - The University of Iowa engineering.uiowa.edu. Checked 21 October 2026.
  3. Image Processing, Analysis and Machine Vision - Milan Sonka, Vaclav Hlavac, Roger Boyle - Google Books books.google.com. Checked 21 October 2026.
  4. Sonka named engineering associate dean for graduate programs and research | Iowa Now - The University of Iowa now.uiowa.edu. Checked 21 October 2026.
  5. A Note from the Department Head | Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences - Carver College of Medicine | The University of Iowa eye.medicine.uiowa.edu. Checked 21 October 2026.
  6. Predicting admission for fall-related injuries in older adults using artificial intelligence: A proof-of-concept study pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Checked 21 October 2026.
  7. Milan Sonka | College of Engineering - The University of Iowa engineering.uiowa.edu. Checked 21 October 2026.
  8. HawkAI -- Who Teaches, Who Developed | The Iowa Initiative for Artificial Intelligence - College of Engineering | The University of Iowa iiai.uiowa.edu. Checked 21 October 2026.