Professor Penny Gowland

Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre, University Nottingham

Penny develops quantitative MRI methods as physiological measurement tools for use in biomedicine, particularly in experimental medicine, across multiple organ systems.

Penny’s work spans applications ranging from monitoring physiological motion in the gastrointestinal tract and placenta to measuring CEST changes in multiple sclerosis.

Currently, Penny is particularly focused on developing methods that exploit the complementary contrast mechanisms of ultrahigh-field MRI (7T and ultimately 11.7T) and low-field 0.5T open MRI Penny has applied ultrahigh-field MRI and fMRI to the study of neurodegenerative diseases, especially Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis.

Penny has led the development of a range of novel MRI techniques to characterise gastrointestinal function, providing new approaches for studying functional GI disorders. In addition, Penny has used MRI to advance understanding of human placental function and have a strong interest in applying quantitative imaging methods to the study of human development, particularly in the fetus.

Linked to Penny’s work at ultrahigh field and in vulnerable populations, Penny has a longstanding interest in the safety of MRI.