WHO WE ARE

Our Scientists

Els Fieremans

ELS FIEREMANS

Associate Professor

I am a faculty at the Department of Radiology, Center for Biomedical Imaging, New York University School of Medicine, where I spearhead the MRI Biophysics group, together with Dr. Dmitry Novikov. I graduated Magna Cum Laude in Engineering in Physics from Ghent University in 2003, where I subsequently received my PhD in 2008 on Validation Methods for Diffusion Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Brain White Matter. I was a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Biomedical Imaging, New York University School of Medicine during 2008-2011. Currently, my research focuses on early biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases, novel contrasts from time-dependent diffusion MRI, and numerical simulations and design of MRI phantoms.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

  • Monte Carlo simulations and physical phantoms
  • Biophysical modeling and subsequent animal validation
  • Design of imaging markers for white matter tract integrity describing axonal loss, demyelination and axonal injury from clinically usable diffusion protocols (e.g., diffusional kurtosis imaging) to assess neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, cancer, as well as normal development
  • Multimodal imaging studies in Alzheimer’s pathology using MR-PET
  • Design of imaging markers from time-dependent diffusion in brain, muscular pathologies and prostate cancer

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

  • Chen J, Chung S, Li T, Fieremans E, Novikov DS, Wang Y and Lui YW. Identifying relevant diffusion MRI microstructure biomarkers relating to exposure to repeated head impacts in contact sport athletes. (2023) Neuroradiol J. 19714009231177396 Pubmed Neuroradiol J
  • Lemberskiy G, Chandarana H, Bruno M, Ginocchio LA, Huang C, Tong A, Keerthivasan MB, Fieremans E and Novikov DS. Feasibility of Accelerated Prostate Diffusion-Weighted Imaging on 0.55 T MRI Enabled With Random Matrix Theory Denoising. (2023) Invest Radiol. Pubmed Invest Radiol
  • Lee HH, Tian Q, Sheft M, Coronado-Leija R, Ramos-Llorden G, Abdollahzadeh A, Fieremans E, Novikov DS and Huang SY. The influence of axonal beading and undulation on axonal diameter mapping. (2023) bioRxiv. Pubmed bioRxiv PMC Article

AWARDS AND HONORS

  • 2020: Hirschl-Weill-Caulier Career Scientist Award for Academic Excellence
  • 2014-2015: Fellow, Raymond and Beverly Sackler Laboratories for Convergence of Physical, Engineering and Biomedical Sciences in Honor of Saul J. Farber
  • 2013: Junior Investigator of the Charleston Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease
  • 2009: Henri Benedictus fellowship, Belgian American Foundation and King Baudouin Foundation
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