From X-ray astronomy to medical imaging

Speaker: Dr Sarah Bugby MInstP, Senior Lecturer, Loughborough University

Throughout history, achievements in physical science have led to advances in medicine: the discovery of electricity leading to electrophysiology, of ionising radiation to X-rays, CT scans, and radiotherapy. Wave propagation equations give us ultrasound imaging, and the quantum mechanical spin of atoms leads to MRI. Without these physical discoveries, and the physicists behind them, medicine today would be unrecognisable. The same is true of scientific technology. 

In this talk Dr Bugby will explain the process behind one example – how sensors originally used to research how stars are born are now being put to use in cancer surgery.

About the Speaker

Dr Sarah Bugby is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Physics, Loughborough University where she leads the Applied Radiation and Medical Physics group. She completed her PhD in 2015 at the Space Research Centre, University of Leicester with a thesis focussed on the development of a portable gamma camera for nuclear medicine. Subsequently, that technology was licensed for commercial manufacture, and is now in clinical trials at sites worldwide. Her research interests have expanded to all areas of radiation imaging and their applications.

Please register for this talk as it helps with the rooming and refreshment arrangements and allows us to contact you should there be any changes to the talk details.

Tea and coffee will be available from 6 pm in the Lennard-Jones foyer. Talks start at 7 pm and are followed by Q&A.

This talk will be accompanied by a British Sign Language interpreter.