Sharmila Majumdar

Sharmila Majumdar, PhD, is a Professor at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and holds joint appointments in the Departments of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences and Orthopedic Surgery at UCSF, and in Bioengineering at UC Berkeley. She serves as Vice Chair of Research in Radiology and Biomedical Imaging and leads the Musculoskeletal Research Interest Group. Her research focuses on advanced imaging techniques (MRI and CT) for musculoskeletal disorders like osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and lower back pain, with a focus on developing imaging tools for clinical translation. She directs an NIH-funded Center of Research Translation in Osteoarthritis and Imaging, collaborating with UCSF and UC Davis.

Education: B.S. in Physics from St. Stephen's College, University of Delhi (1983); M.S. and Ph.D. in Engineering & Applied Physics from Yale University (1984, 1987), followed by postdoctoral training in Radiology at Yale (1988). She joined UCSF in 1989.

Research interests include musculoskeletal imaging, quantitative MRI biomarkers, AI applications, and imaging-driven clinical trials. She has led over 20 NIH-funded grants, including longitudinal studies on osteoarthritis progression and imaging technology development. Awards include AIMBE and ISMRM Fellowships, the ISMRM Gold Medal, and UCSF's Excellence in Mentoring Award.

Her recent work emphasizes AI-driven imaging solutions, such as digital twin models for knee joints and automated MRI scan prescriptions. She co-leads studies on hip and knee joint degeneration, linking imaging findings to clinical outcomes. Her lab's innovations in low-field MRI and metal artifact reduction aim to improve accessibility and diagnostic precision.

• Awards: AIMBE Fellow (2004), ISMRM Fellow (2008), ISMRM Gold Medal (2016), UCSF Mentoring Award (2007)
• Grants: NIH P50, R01, UH3, and multi-institutional collaborations
• Leadership: Director of NIH Osteoarthritis Imaging Center, Principal Investigator on 15+ grants

Labs/Teams: Musculoskeletal Research Interest Group (interdisciplinary faculty/postdocs/students) and the UCSF Core Center for Musculoskeletal Biology and Medicine.