The 2023 Faculty of Science and Engineering Dean’s Lecture - Engineering Solutions on How, When and Where we Image the Brain - took place in the TSI Building on Wednesday May 3 2023. Professor Clare Elwell, Professor of Medical Physics, University College London was this year’s invited speaker. We were delighted to have over 250 people attend the Dean’s Lecture in person and online.
The presentation by Prof Elwell was a masterclass in science communication and was a wonderful example of how "health" touches on core science, medical impact, and ethics, as well as social impact and social development in Africa.
Taking us on an inspiring journey through her professional career, Prof Elwell recounted the development and progression of NIRS brain imaging technology and research techniques – a wonderful collaboration between physicists, engineers, and healthcare professionals.
Prof Elwell discussed how she has worked with this technology to understand brain function across the entire lifespan and how NIRS brain imaging has made it possible to detect early markers of autism in infants and investigate other brain developmental issues in young children.
Prof Elwell also shared her experience of working with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and how funding from this Foundation enabled her to set up the BRIGHT Project (Brain Imaging For Global Health). The BRIGHT Project, which Prof Elwell leads, investigates the impact of malnutrition on brain development in rural Gambia and has resulted in the first functional brain imaging of infants in Africa.
We are incredibly grateful to Prof Elwell for sharing her time, expertise, knowledge, and humour with us to deliver an exceptional Dean’s Lecture this year.
You can listen back to this fascinating talk on Maynooth University’s YouTube channel HERE.