معرفی
Molly G Bright, DPhil is an Assistant Professor in both the Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences department and the McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University. She leads the Applied Neuro-Vascular Imaging Lab (ANVIL) and collaborates extensively with Biomedical Engineering, Neurology, Radiology, the Center for Translational Imaging, the Northwestern University Interdepartmental Neuroscience program, and the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab.
Her educational background includes a B.S. in Physics from MIT (2006), a D.Phil. from the University of Oxford (2011), postdoctoral training at Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (2014), and as an Anne McLaren Fellow at the University of Nottingham's Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre (2017).
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (SB, Physics, 2006)
- University of Oxford (DPhil, 2011)
- Cardiff University (Postdoctoral Fellow, MRI, 2014)
- University of Nottingham (Postdoctoral Fellow, MRI, 2017)
Dr. Bright's research focuses on advanced MRI techniques to assess the interaction of neural activity and vascular physiology throughout the human central nervous system. Her lab designs and implements tools to stimulate or monitor human physiology during MRI scanning and develops specialized acquisition methods to characterize neuro-vascular function in the brain, brainstem, and spinal cord. This work aims to produce robust noninvasive imaging techniques for studying individual patient pathophysiology in movement disorders including stroke, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, and multiple sclerosis.
Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on spinal cord imaging methodology development, cerebrovascular reactivity mapping, and the relationship between neural networks and vascular regulation. Her work increasingly focuses on translating these advanced MRI techniques to clinical populations, particularly for rehabilitation applications. A notable trend is the development of gas-challenge-free methods for cerebrovascular assessment and improved techniques for spinal cord fMRI analysis.
Dr. Bright has received significant recognition for her work:
- Scialog Fellow, Research Corporation for Science Advancement (2021)
- Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation Engineering Research Career Development (K12) Award
- SCIRTS Pilot Grant from Craig H. Neilsen Foundation
- R21 grant from NINDS for Acute Intermittent Hypoxia research
She actively mentors numerous graduate students across Biomedical Engineering and related fields, with several recent PhD graduates including Kimberly Hemmerling, Neha Reddy, and Kristina Zvolanek. Her lab has secured substantial grant funding, including NSF, NIH, and foundation support for projects investigating vascular regulation in the brain, spinal cord fMRI methods, and therapeutic applications of imaging techniques.
The Applied Neuro-Vascular Imaging Lab (ANVIL) operates at the intersection of engineering, neuroscience, and clinical rehabilitation, with strong connections to the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab and multiple Northwestern research centers. The lab develops innovative MRI protocols and analysis methods while maintaining a strong focus on clinical translation for neurorehabilitation applications.
