Assistant Professor
Northwestern University
Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences,
Feinberg School of Medicine
Biomedical Engineering,
McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Preceptor, Northwestern University Interdepartmental Neuroscience (NUIN) program
Following a B.S. in physics from MIT, Molly received her D.Phil. from the University of Oxford as part of a collaboration with the US National Institutes of Health, working with Peter Jezzard at the Oxford Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB) and Jeff Duyn in the Advanced MRI group of NINDS. She completed post-doctoral training at the Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), incorporating new physiological stimuli, additional imaging modalities, and advanced fMRI processing techniques to her research. She then moved to Nottingham as an independent Anne McLaren Fellow, to develop ultra-high-field MR imaging methods for studying cerebral physiology in neurological diseases at the world-leading Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre, the birthplace of MRI. In 2018, she returned home to America to lead the Applied Neuro-Vascular Imaging Lab at Northwestern University.
EDUCATION
2011 Doctor of Philosophy, University of Oxford
2006 Bachelor of Science in Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
ACADEMIC POSITIONS
2018- Assistant Professor, Northwestern University
2014-2017 Anne McLaren Fellow, SPMIC, University of Nottingham
2013-2014 Wellcome Trust ISSF Fellow, CUBRIC, Cardiff University
2011-2013 Postdoctoral Research Associate, CUBRIC, Cardiff University
2006-2011 NIH-Oxford Scholar
FUNDING
2020
Center for Air Force Excellence for Advanced BioProgrammable Nanomaterials ($90k)
“Cognitive Functions Affected by Hypoxia”
Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute Pilot Grant ($30k)
“Multi-parametric assessment of cerebrovascular function: repeatability of metrics and their application in Multiple Sclerosis”
2019
Craig H. Neilsen Foundation SCIRTS Pilot Grant ($300k)
“Neurovascular mechanisms of Intermittent Hypoxia Induced Neural Plasticity”
Interdisciplinary Rehabilitative Engineering K12 Career Development Award ($125 k)
“Optimized fMRI to develop neurorehabilitative therapies in pediatric-onset hemiplegia”
2016-2018
Medical Research Council Confidence in Concept Grant (£64 k)
“Validation of MRI protocol for monitoring neuroinflammation in Multiple Sclerosis”
2016-2017
Mason Medical Research Trust (£9 k)
“Perfusion MRI in Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Syndrome.”
2014-2017 Anne McLaren Fellowship
2013-2014 Wellcome Trust ISSF Fellowship
2006-2011 NIH-Oxford Scholar, doctoral training fellowship
2005 International Research Fellowship in Optics and Photonics
2004 U.S. Department of Energy National Undergraduate Research Fellowship
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
2020- Co-editor of Research Topic for Frontiers in Physiology
2019- Elected to Committee of Current Issues in Brain Function Study Group, ISMRM
2017- Editorial Board for NeuroImage
2014- Founding co-chair of Imaging Cerebral Physiology Network
2016-2017 Handling guest-editor for special issue of NeuroImage
Reviewer for NeuroImage, JCBFM, PLoS ONE, Human Brain Mapping, J. Neuroscience
Member of International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine
Member of the Organization for Human Brain Mapping