My research focuses on the development of novel Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) technology for imaging the heart. We focus in particular on quantitative imaging techniques, in which the signal intensity at each pixel in an image represents a measurement of an inherent property of a tissue. Much of our research is based on cardiac Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting (MRF), which is a class of methods for simultaneously measuring multiple tissue properties from one rapid acquisition.
Our group is exploring novel ways to combine physics-based modeling of MRI scans with deep learning algorithms for several purposes. First, we are exploring the use of deep learning to design quantitative MRI scans with improved accuracy and precision. Second, we are developing deep learning approaches for image reconstruction that will allow us to reduce image noise, improve spatial resolution and volumetric coverage, and enable highly accelerated acquisitions to shorten scan times. Third, we are exploring ways of using artificial intelligence to derive physiological motion signals directly from MRI data to enable continuous scanning that is robust to cardiac and breathing motion. In general, we focus on algorithms that are either self-supervised or use training data generated in computer simulations, since the collection of large amounts of training data from human subjects is often impractical when designing novel imaging methods.