Facility Fellows

University of Queensland:
Facility Fellow
Dr Gary Cowin

Dr Cowin develops new MR based projects on Bruker (2T human, 4.6T large animal system and a 16.4T small animal micro-imaging system) and Siemens MRI systems (1.5T clinical and 4T research systems) for Human and Animal studies. He has extensive experience investigating fat localisation in the muscle (calf), liver and abdomen in projects with diabetic patients, HRT patients, obese children and up-regulation of intra-myocellular fat utilisation. Dr Cowin is involved in various aspects of MRI QA, including effects of gradient non-linearity on image quality. He is developing hyperpolarised gas lung imaging in both human and animals, obtaining the first Helium images in Australia. Dr Cowin investigates the resolution limits of MR micro-imaging and the potential benefits of contrast agents for very high field imaging, including mouse, rat and zebra fish projects.

Postal Address:
Centre for Advanced Imaging
Level 2 Gehrmann Laboratories (60)
University of Queensland
St Lucia, Qld 4072

P: +61 7 3365 8378 | E: gary.cowin@cai.uq.edu.au

University of Queensland:
Facility Fellow
Dr Karine Mardon

Dr Karine Mardon obtained her PhD in radiopharmacology from University Paris XII in 1994; she then moved to Australia to pursue postdoctoral studies at ANSTO in the Radiopharmaceutical Division and worked there for 5 years in the development and characterisation of radiopharmaceuticals for SPECT and PET. She has extensive experience in in vitro and in vivo preclinical research particularly in the evaluation of durgs developed for the study of movement disorders as well as in the evaluation of radiolabelled peripheral benzodiazepine receptor ligands as markers of neurodegeneration and tumour occurence. She move to Brisbane in 2000 and joined the University of Queensland where she gained valuable experience working in the field of preclinical drug development in the ADME division of TetraQ. She joined the Centre for Advanced Imaging in October, 2010 as NIF Facility Fellow for preclinical PET/CT.

Postal Address:
Centre for Advanced Imaging
Level 2 Gehrmann Laboratories (60)
University of Queensland
St Lucia, Qld 4072

P: +61 2 3346 9068 | E: k.mardon@uq.edu.au

University of New South Wales:
Facility Fellow
Dr Michael Green

My role is to assist researchers using our 3T MRI system for animal imaging in terms of infrastructure, analysis and imaging procedures. My own interests have been predominantly in human brain MR Elastography imaging; an imaging sequence which examines the in-vivo viscoelastic nature of the brain as a potential indicator for brain disease.

Postal Address:
Neuroscience Research Australia
Barker Street
Randwick, NSW 2031
Australia

P: +61 2 9399 1086 | E: m.green@neura.edu.au

University of New South Wales:
Facility Fellow
Dr Tzong-Tyng Hung

Biological Resources Imaging Laboratory (BRIL) is a facility with multimodal small animal imaging capabilities. The instruments include bioluminescence and fluroescence imaging, ultrasound and endoscopy. BRIL also houses a micro PET/CT and is expecting the arrival of a small animal 9.4T MRI in the near future. Dr Hung assists researchers in the planning, imaging procedures and analysis of imaging data. He is experienced in the development of preclinical murine cancer models and his research involves the use of multimodal small animal imaging for the monitoring, detection and analysis of prostate cancer bone metastasis.

Postal Address:
Biological Resources Imaging Laboratory (BRIL)
Level 4, Lowy Cancer Research Centre
University of New South Wales
Kensington, NSW 2052
Australia

P: +61 2 9385 9360 | E: t.hung@unsw.edu.au

University of Western Sydney:
Facility Fellow
Dr Tim Stait-Gardner

Dr Stait-Gardner is the Facility Fellow at the UWS node of the NIF where he oversees external use of the 11.7T MRI and 7T Animal MRI located respectively at UWS's Campbelltown and Hawkesbury campuses. He also conducts his own research in NMR diffusometry which includes theoretical simulation and pulse sequence design and is interested in speeding up diffusion measurements significantly while still retaining other information such as chemical shifts. Such fast diffusion sequences will not only allow for much more effecient use of NMR spectrometers but will also extend the application of diffusion measurements into previously inaccessible time domains.

Postal Address:
Locked Bag 1797
Penrith South DC
New South Wales 1797
Australia

P: +61 2 4620 3216 | E: t.stait-gardner@uws.edu.au

Return to Contact Information

NIF Founding Nodes