Zhongliang Zu, PhD, earned a PhD in Medical Physics from Peking University in China in 2008. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Vanderbilt University. In 2012, he joined the Vanderbilt faculty as an Instructor and was appointed as Assistant Professor in 2014. His primary area of research involves molecular and functional molecular MR imaging using advanced MR sequences including chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST), magnetization transfer (MT), spin-lock, and MRS spectroscopy, and their applications in tumors, ischemic stroke, and neurological and muscular disorders. Dr. Zu is a principle investigator and a co-investigator on multiple NIH-funded projects. He has developed novel MR techniques to detect abnormal glucose metabolism and extracellular pH in tumors, intracellular pH in stroke, and high-energy phosphate metabolism in muscular disorders by employing their chemical exchange effect.
Section: Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science
Pai-Feng Yang, PhD, earned a BS and MS in Biomedical Engineering from Chung Yuan Christian University and a PhD in Electrical Engineering from National Taiwan University in Taipai, Taiwan. He worked as a Research Associate for three years and completed a research fellowship at the National Taiwan University, Institute of Zoology. In 2012, he joined the Vanderbilt faculty as a Postdoctoral Research Associate. In 2022, he was promoted to Research Assistant Professor. He is a member for the Society of Neuroscience. His current research project involves focused ultrasound modulates region-specific brain activity of no-human primate at 7T and effects of monkey's spinal cord injury on nociceptive heat evoked fMRI responses at 9.4T.
Section: Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science
Xinqiang Yan, PhD, earned a PhD is Particle Physics and Nuclear Physics from the Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, China. He completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, and he joined the Vanderbilt faculty as Research Instructor. Dr. Yan’s research is focused on RF hardware, parallel imaging and parallel transmission in MRI.
Section: Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science
Junzhong Xu, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. His current research projects are focused on the development, validation, optimization, and evaluation of advanced quantitative MRI methods in various applications such as neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. The specific projects include 1) development and validation of MRI cell size imaging for mapping biological microstructure in cancer or neurodegenerative diseases; 2) assessment of MR cell size imaging to better characterize tumor status and monitor tumor early treatment response to anti-cancer therapy; and 3) applications of advanced MRI methods to improve the diagnosis and treatment response of neurodegenerative diseases including multiple sclerosis.
Section: Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science