Brendon Villegas, Ph.D. – Bio

Brendon Villegas was born and raised in Riverside, California, where he developed an early curiosity and passion for science. He earned his Bachelor’s of Science in General Physics from the University of California, Riverside, followed by a Master’s of Science in Applied Physics from the California State University, Long Beach. He later continued his academic training at the University of California, Los Angeles, completing both an MS and PhD in Biomedical Physics. Dr. Villegas’ focus was on utilizing Molecular Imaging in both neurodegenerative disease and lung cancer to better visualize the disease. Prior to starting his doctorate at UCLA in 2010, he made a last-minute decision to compete on the hit CBS reality show Big Brother.  It was there that he would meet and fall in love with his eventual wife, Rachel Reilly. He later returned for another season of Big Brother with his fiancée, Rachel, who would go on to win the season.  He has competed twice on The Amazing Race and won a reality edition of Fear Factor, donating $50,000 to lung cancer research.  Brendon and Rachel were eventually married on David Tutera’s show My Fair Wedding at the top of the ATT building in Los Angeles.  The two are now the proud parents of two beautiful children and two misbehaving dogs. Dr. Villegas is currently an Assistant Professor in Radiology at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, where he is employed as a Diagnostic Medical Physicist with both clinical and academic duties.  Professionally, he is deeply committed to diagnostic imaging and remains especially inspired by the rapid technological advancements in Nuclear Medicine, where physics can directly impact patient care.