Professor Zang-Hee Cho graduated Seoul National University with a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in 1960 and 1962, respectively. He continued his study at Uppsala University (Sweden) and earned his Ph.D. in 1966. Before he joined UCI as a Professor and Director of MRI Research in 1985, Dr.Cho has been a faculty at the University of Stockholm, University of California-Los Angeles. In 1979, Dr.Cho moved to Columbia University as a Professor of Radiology (Physics) and served as a co-Director of Imaging Center at Columbia University and remained there till 1984 before he joined UCI.

Professor Cho has been a pioneer in Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) since the inception of the computerized tomography (CT) in 1972. He was the first one who pioneered mathematical algorithms related to CT scanners and developed one of the first 3-D image reconstruction algorithms. Dr.Cho subsequently developed world's first "Ring PET" in 1975 and its nuclear detector "Bismuth Geminately Oxide (BGO)" in1976, both of which revolutionized modern brain-imaging. Today, invariably all the PET scanners, both research prototypes and commercial devices, are "Ring" types with "BGO" nuclear scintillation detectors.

Since late 1970s, Professor Cho has been in MRI Research and developed various methods and algorithms related to NMR imaging. In 1985, Dr.Cho developed world's first 2.0 Tesla MRI and developed numerous imaging techniques ranging from chemical shift imaging to ultra fast spiral scan echo planner imaging and NRM microscopy. Since early 1990s, Dr. Cho has been interested in neuroimaging research and pioneered first acupuncture MRI, the Neuro-Accupuncture widely used in search of acupuncture mechanism based on brain activity.

Lastly among the numerous honors and awards he has received, was elected members of the US National Academy of Sciences- Institute of Medicine in 1997 and the National Academy of Sciences, Republic of Korea in 1998, respectively. Professor Cho is the Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Imaging System and Technology, John Wiley & Sons and also serves as a half dozen of Editorial Board Members of various scientific journals related to imaging.

Professor Cho resumed a position of University Professor at Gachon Medical School and Director of Neuroscience Research Institute, Incheon, Korea since 2004 and developed world's first PET-MRI fusion molecular imaging system for the Human In-Vivo Brain Imaging.