People
Primary Faculty – Tenure Track
Associate Professor
Advanced Imaging Research Center, Internal Medicine
The nanomedicine research program in the Corbin Lab integrates molecular imaging technology with state-of-the-art image-guided drug delivery to develop novel approaches for cancer management. The lab uses catheter-based interventional radiologic procedures in preclinical animal models of cancer to enable locoregional treatment of experimental therapies, minimizing systemic toxicities and maximizing tumor drug exposure. Multidisciplinary approaches are adopted from the fields of drug delivery, bioengineering, chemistry, and tumor biology. The program rests on the premise that today’s innovations drive tomorrow’s medicines.
AIRC Director and Professor
Advanced Imaging Research Center, Radiology
The Henning Lab develops novel metabolic MRI methodology for non-invasive visualization and quantification of disease-related changes in human tissue. Specific foci are 1H, 31P, 13C and 2H magnetic resonance spectroscopy and chemical exchange saturation transfer imaging at ultrahigh field (7T, 9.4T), as well as the development of respective enabling technology (RF coils, B0 shimming, sequences, pulse design, image reconstruction).
Assistant Professor
Advanced Imaging Research Center, Neuroscience & Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute
The Li neuroimaging Lab (LNAB) aims to develop novel whole-brain MRI imaging methods to integrate molecular and system neuroscience while solving brain science problems in health and diseases. Specifically, LNAB works to understand the neural mechanisms of reward, decision, and learning in rodents.
Assistant Professor
Advanced Imaging Research Center, Radiology
The Liu Lab pushes the clinical outcome of medical imaging by developing robust and accurate high-resolution MRI methods that are sensitive to tissue health. We aim to achieve this goal through the integration of novel MRI acquisition and image reconstruction, ultrahigh magnetic field, biophysical modeling, and clinical collaboration.
Professor
Medical Consultant Human MRI Core Facility
Abnormal metabolic states may cause human disease, and many diseases cause substantial alterations of normal metabolic pathways. Understanding these alterations provides opportunities for both diagnosis and treatment, but interactions among myriad processes make it virtually impossible to measure with current clinical approaches. Our goal involves probing and understanding metabolism in human diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and others. We intend to provide clinicians with actionable metabolism information about individual patients.
Associate Professor
The Wang Lab focuses on developing novel quantitative MRI techniques and analysis methods on CNS and musculoskeletal systems. The research group has developed advanced imaging-based biomarkers for different neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s Disease and Multiple sclerosis disease. The group also develops novel AI/Machine Learning algorithms for imaging segmentation, classification, and analysis.
Associate Professor
Advanced Imaging Research Center, Biomedical Engineering, Radiology, Electrical Engineering (UTD)
The Park Lab develops imaging methods that assess real-time metabolism noninvasively and investigates in-vivo metabolism of rodents and humans using dynamic nuclear polarization and 13C/15N NMR. Ongoing projects include developments of novel pulse sequences and 13C/15N-labeled probes, as well as investigation of cellular metabolism in cancer, neurological diseases, cardiomyopathies, and metabolic syndromes.
Professor Emeritus
Advanced Imaging Research Center, Radiology, Chemistry (UTD)
The Sherry Laboratory works on the design and implementation of various types of MRI probes for measuring physiological and biological function. Recent discoveries include paraCEST agents for imaging tissue pH and hypoxia, gadolinium-based probes for detecting Zn2+ release from β-cells and prostate, and hyperpolarized probes for imaging metabolic processes in vivo.
Primary Faculty – Research Track
Associate Professor
Director of Data Science and Communication
As the Director of Data Science, Dr. Anteraper customizes data analysis pipelines and trains users to meet the need of individual studies. As the Director of Communication, her efforts include developing a multi-media strategy, contribute to organizing symposia and events as well as meetings among key stakeholders. As a biomedical engineer by training, she is passionate about translational neuroimaging and her goal is to apply optimized MRI acquisition methods and novel data analysis pipelines (e.g., cerebello-cerebral functional connectivity) to make a clinical impact. She holds secondary appointments at Biomedical Engineering and Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute.
Instructor
Advanced Imaging Research Center, Psychiatry
Dr. Chan's research focuses on developing methods for accelerating and increasing the reliability of proton MR spectroscopy and spectroscopic imaging acquisitions in the human brain at clinical and ultrahigh field strengths. It applies these methods to evaluate potential biomarkers that help diagnose, treat and understand mood disorders such as major depressive disorder.
Associate Professor
Advanced Imaging Research Center, Internal Medicine
The Jin Lab studies metabolic dysregulations associated with metabolic syndrome using a combination of stable isotopes (13C and 2H) and NMR spectroscopy. They develop NMR methods to investigate in vivo intermediary metabolism and apply them in volunteers and rodent models to elucidate alterations in obesity, diabetes, fatty liver, or cancer.
Associate Professor
Advanced Imaging Research Center
The Kovács Lab focuses on the synthesis of hyperpolarized 13C-labeled agents to monitor metabolic pathways by magnetic resonance spectroscopy/imaging. Dr. Kovacs develops tracers based on ultralow gamma nuclei (15N, 89Y and 107,109Ag) as MR sensors of biomarkers (pH, redox). His group also looks at novel diaCEST agents that exhibit extremely shifted 1H CEST signals.
Associate Professor
Advanced Imaging Research Center, Radiology
The Ren Lab aims to develop and apply 31P/1H MRS methods for probing in vivo metabolism in the human brain and skeletal muscle. Research interests include ATP energetics, NAD redox, fat distribution, membrane phospholipids, Mg and Pi states, and mitochondrial (dys)function in exercise intolerance, insulin resistance, heart failure, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease.
Assistant Professor
Advanced Imaging Research Center, Radiology
Dr. Sarma's research focuses on developments of novel magnetic resonance methods and technology to elucidate in vivo metabolism and function of normal and pathological states. His clinical research expertise encompasses brain imaging in HIV, OSA, diabetic, brain tumor, hepatic encephalopathy, and imaging of the prostate and breast cancer.
Assistant Professor
MRI Physics consultant Human MRI Core Facility
The Thomas lab aims to understand markers of brain health by measuring cerebral blood flow, oxygen metabolism, cerebrovascular dilation non-invasively using MRI and their association with cognition in health and disease. His group studies mechanisms of brain changes in aging, Alzheimer’s disease, obesity, brain injury and benefits of exercise.
Associate Professor
Director Pre-Clinical MRI Research Core Facility
As the technical director of the pre-clinical MRI core facility, Dr. Wansapura oversees the operation of preclinical MRI scanners while consulting with new investigators on developing MRI protocols, pulse programs, and analysis software. His research interests include cardiac and kidney functional imaging as well as Radiomics and MR fingerprinting techniques, which have potential applications in preclinical imaging.
Assistant Professor
Advanced Imaging Research Center, Radiology
The RF laboratory in AIRC develops application-specific coils to facilitate research projects and performs basic physics research to understand the interaction of RF waves and tissues to improve the sensitivity and safety of RF coils.
Administrative Team
Bryan Guardiola
Administrative Associate, Procurement, Travel, Events, Space
Core Facility Support & Staff Scientists
Corey Mozingo, R.T.
Manager, Human MRI Core Facility & Clinical Research
Crystal Harrison, Ph.D.
Research Scientist, IRB Support & Hyperpolarization
Richard Martin, A.A.S., B.B.A.
Biomedical Engineering Specialist, Facilities & Instrumentation
Dejah Rouse, ARRT(R)(CT)(MR) MRSO(MRSC)
MRI Technologist, Human MRI Core Facility
Research Staff
Dahan Kim, Ph.D. (Research Associate)
Min Jung Kim, Ph.D. (Senior Research Scientist)
Yujia Huang, M.S. (Research Assistant)
Rui Yang, M.S. (Research Assistant)
Trainees
Postdoctoral Researchers
Baljeet Seniwal, Ph.D.
Mai Huynh, Ph.D.
Muditha Suranga Rathnayaka, Ph.D.
Sung-Han Lin, M.D.
Zohreh Erfani, Ph.D.
Talon Johnson, Ph.D.
Xinyue Han, Ph.D.
Jie Chen, Ph.D.
Graduate Students
Carlos Brambila
Celik Boga
James Raynard Dizon
Mahrshi Jani
Shengyue Su
Yeison Rodriguez
Sasanka Wathukara Dewage
Wenkai Liang
Xinyu Zhang
Yujia Huang, M.S.
Rui Yang, M.S.
Secondary Faculty
- Gaurav Sharma, Ph.D.
- Jeffrey Browning, M.D.
- Franz Greil, M.D., Ph.D.
- Qing Zou, Ph.D.
- Daniel Costa, M.D.
- Marco Da Cunha Pinho, M.D.
- Elizabeth Davenport, Ph.D.
- Baowei Fei, Ph.D.
- Joseph Maldjian, M.D.
- Robert Mattrey, M.D.
- Ivan Pedrosa, M.D.
- Martin Pomper, M.D., Ph.D.
- Amy Proskovec, Ph.D.
- Bhavya Shah, M.D.
- Todd Soesbe, Ph.D.
- Xiankai Sun, Ph.D.
- Durga Udayakumar, Ph.D.
- Elena Vinogradov, Ph.D.
- Jaewon Yang, Ph.D.
- Takeshi Yokoo, M.D., Ph.D.
- Fang Yu, M.D.