This project aims to develop traceable materials and methods to characterize the performance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners, particularly their ability to noninvasively measure diffusion properties, such as the apparent diffusion coefficient, fractional anisotropy, and to generate accurate temperature maps by use of endogenous or exogenous reporters in vivo and in vitro. We plan to develop application-specific phantoms for use in clinical scanners, and measure material properties using a variable-field nuclear magnetic resonance system, a variable-field small-bore MRI, and research MRI scanners located at the University of Colorado campuses in Boulder and Denver. Possible projects include fabricating and testing of (1) biomimetic micromachined structures with well-defined anisotropic diffusion properties, (2) anisotropic polymer gel phantoms, and (3) novel cleanroom-nanofabricated temperature reporters. This opportunity is appropriate for physicists, chemical-physicists, or engineers interested in medical physics or medical engineering. 

 

key words

Biomagnetics; Biomedical engineering; Electromagnetism; Magnetics; Medical imaging; Medical physics; MRI; NMR; Thermometry; Diffusion;

Citizenship:  Open to U.S. citizens

Level:  Open to Postdoctoral applicants