Graduate Studies

The Department of Radiology has about twenty graduate students in total and usually accepts three or four new students each year. Like the PhD, the one-year MPhil in Radiology is entirely research-based. All students are part of a team run by an academic who is active in one or more of the Department’s current research themes .

The following academics are currently supervising students whose research falls into their specialist areas:

• • Professor Fiona Gilbert (Breast Imaging, AI, MRI, PET)
  • Professor Ferdia Gallagher (Molecular Imaging, MRI, PET, Hyperpolarised MRI, Oncological Imaging, Hybrid Imaging)
  • Professor Martin J Graves (MR Physics, PET/MR, Imaging informatics, MRI and AI)
  • Dr Tomasz Matys (Neuroradiology)
  • Dr Tristan Barrett (Prostate cancer Imaging, Genito-urinary Radiology)
  • Dr Gigi Aloj (Nuclear medicine, PET)

MPhil in Medical Science (Radiology)

This is a one-year MPhil in Medical Science (Radiology) programme, with admission in October. The Department may accept one or two students a year. The MPhil degree is examined by research dissertation (up to a maximum of 20,000 words) and oral examination on the project. It is possible to continue on to the PhD if the quality of the MPhil convinces the Supervisor and Faculty Degree Committee that the student has the skills and ability successfully to complete the higher degree. For more information on the the MPhil program or to apply, please see this page.

PhD in Radiology

The Department may accept three or four students a year for the PhD in Radiology programme. Admission is usually in October, but it is also possible to start in January or April. For more information and to apply, see this page. You can also visit the University’s Postgraduate Admissions website for more information on how to apply.

Most students on the PhD programme will be involved to some extent in one or more of the grant-funded research projects underway in the Department or Addenbrooke’s Hospital. They can be involved in clinical trials and the transfer of research developments into patients.

Postgraduate Open Day

More information and updates will be available on the Cambridge postgraduate open day webpage.

Type of research

Research projects in the department range from technical (e.g. the development of new imaging techniques and scanning technologies), where students may have come from a physics or engineering background, to clinical (such as MR imaging of the liver, multi-modal imaging of the breast, prostate and other tumours, hyperpolarised MRI and neurological imaging, particularly of atheromatous plaques, to name a few). In clinical areas, students will have a medical background and wish to take a break from their training in order to study for a PhD. The latter is usually the route taken by people whose longer term career aim is to be a clinical academic.

Where the research will be undertaken

The University Department of Radiology is fully integrated into Addenbrooke’s Hospital and students will work closely with both University and NHS specialists. The Department has particularly strong links with the MRIS Unit, the Breast Unit, the CRUK Cancer Institute and the Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre.

Students will have desk space in the Department, which is based on Levels 4 and 5 in Addenbrooke’s Hospital. While some students concentrate on image/data analysis, which is primarily desk-based, others will spend a lot of their time in the various imaging clinics/departments in the Hospital.

Supervision

Students will work closely with their supervisor and other members of their research team, and may be co-supervised by a member of another Department or the NHS Trust, depending on the specific expertise required. They will also be expected to attend the regular meetings held by their research group to monitor and discuss trial progress.