Personal Statement

My research has a long-standing focus on novel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) hardware and its methodologies for in vivo and material applications (e.g., fluids in porous media). My findings have led to several U.S. patents on MRI instrumentation, which is currently under consideration for commercialization by various medical device and petroleum industries. In particular, interesting knowledge gained during my doctorate studies, on radio frequency (RF) and direct currents working in one single RF coil for magnetic resonance imaging an operational fuel cell, together with encouraging discussions with my colleagues, have recently stimulated me to propose the idea called iPRES — for integrated Parallel Reception, Excitation and Shimming. This is a new concept for combining B0 shimming and RF into a single coil array.

The technology could revolutionize the design of RF coils or phased arrays, a major component of MRI scanners. Since 2013, this new concept has been a hot topic in the world's largest magnetic resonance community, the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. It has been highlighted in several plenary lectures, including those hosted by major vendors, such as Siemens and GE Healthcare. This technology can dramatically improve image resolution and accuracy for functional and structural imaging (e.g., at the prefrontal cortex and temporal lobe in human and animal brains).

The goal of our current research is to move toward fully developing the potential of this technology to improve diagnostic ability and disease prevention by solving unmet imaging challenges.