Modelling of Diffusion Weighted MRI

Recent methodological advances in diffusion weighted MRI allows for more complex modelling of anatomical parameters. There is interest in more pathologically meaningful metrics (such as axonal diameter measurements), those that more accurately reflect tissue complexity (such as kurtosis) and metrics that are robust and comparable across multi-centre studies. For such problems the optimal pulse sequences for such acquisitions are undetermined. This project will be to trial both different acquisition schemes and modelling, and apply these methods to clinically relevant research questions. The project will benefit from a research collaboration agreement with Siemens and access to both 3T and 7T field strength scanners for data acquisition. The project will be appropriate for a candidate with a background in Physics and strong mathematical skills, and an interest in translating methodology to provide novel and practical research tools.