Naomi Sta Maria

Naomi Sta Maria, PhD serves as Assistant Professor of Research Physiology and Neuroscience and Director of the Functional Biological Imaging Core at the University of Southern California (USC). Her dual roles position her at the intersection of academic research and advanced imaging facility leadership.

Her research program focuses on traumatic brain injury mechanisms, neuroimaging probe development, and molecular tracking of disease processes. Using human brain organoids, transgenic mouse models, and advanced MRI/PET techniques, she investigates pediatric TBI consequences, Alzheimer's disease acceleration post-injury, and novel theranostic strategies for cancer and atherosclerosis. Key methodologies include radiotracer synthesis, CAR T-cell tracking, and computational imaging analysis through her ROCKETSHIP software platform.

Analysis of her 15 recent publications (2014-2024) reveals strong emphasis on translational neurotrauma imaging (60% of works), with growing contributions to molecular oncology imaging (25%) and neurodevelopmental disorder modeling (15%). Her work consistently bridges basic mechanistic studies with clinical imaging applications.

As Director of the Functional Biological Imaging Core, she oversees advanced imaging resources supporting USC researchers in neurotrauma, oncology, and regenerative medicine. The facility specializes in dynamic MRI, PET quantification, and cellular tracking methodologies central to her published work.