Meet Dr Sam Keaveney, Clinical MRI Scientist in the NCITA QA/QC Unit

Tell us about your role in NCITA?

I am a Clinical MRI Scientist based at the Department of Physics at the Royal Marsden Hospital (RMH) & The ICR.  My role involves the development of MRI documentation and MRI processes for the NCITA QA/QC Unit.  I am also involved in the NCITA MRI core lab, where I will be involved in sites visits to evaluate the capability of sites to run MRI studies, qualification of MRI study sites and monitoring of the study’s quality performance.

What is a typical week like for you as a Clinical MRI Scientist?

A typical week involves drafting documentation on MRI processes for the Q-Pulse quality monitoring system as well as writing and testing software code for automated data acquisition.  I attend weekly meetings with the NCITA QA/QC unit which update the team with the NCITA QA/QC activities across the different institutions.  I am based at the RMH, and am also involved in whole body MRI protocol development for the Exemplar 3 study in patients with multiple myeloma at The ICR.

What do you like most about your role?

I really enjoy the challenges that MRI research brings, as it is such a broad and varied field of research.  I am also finding it really interesting to learn more about the breadth of different projects included in the NCITA programme and am delighted to be a part of this multidisciplinary team.

How did you get to where you are today?

I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Physics at the University of Leicester, where I was particularly interested in the direct impact of medical physics on improving healthcare.  I then completed an MSc in Medical Physics at the University of Aberdeen before moving to Newcastle University, where I undertook my PhD in developing imaging methods for measuring mitochondrial function in the brain of patients with Alzheimer’s disease using simultaneous PET/MRI and phosphorus spectrometry.  I then moved from Newcastle to London to start my NCITA post as clinical MRI scientist.

Can you tell us what you like to do in your spare time?

At the weekends, I enjoy getting away from computer screens and going out cycling, running or hiking.  I particularly enjoy cycling and once completed a cycle trip from Aberdeen down to Nottingham, a 10 day journey, without google maps!

Read more about our NCITA infrastructure and project staff here.