As the Head of MR Physics at the Harvard University Center for Brain Science, Neuroimaging facility, Dr. Mair’s role involves investigation and implementation of novel MRI methods for neuroimaging using the 3.0T MRI scanner, along with facility management duties. His research time has been split between optimization of advanced fMRI techniques, and investigation of acceleration methods for anatomical neuroimaging for morphomertric analysis. Both areas have covered the use of highly-parallel array receive coils, high levels of in-plane parallel imaging acceleration, multiband/simultaneous multi-slice imaging techniques, and recently undersampling with compressed sensing. The position requires close collaborations with Siemens developers, senior engineers and my colleagues at the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital who carry out significant MRI method development through interactions with the Siemens staff based at that site.

Prior to moving to this position, Dr. Mair held the position of Staff Scientist (Physicist) at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (part of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics) for nearly 10 years. In collaboration with Dr Ron Walsworth, he helped lead a pioneering program in NMR and MRI applications of hyperpolarized noble gases in biomedical and materials science. This multidisciplinary work, involving collaborators from institutions as diverse as Schlumberger-Doll Research, MIT, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital and University of New Hampshire, included development of methods to probe long-distance pore geometry, connectivity and permeability in reservoir rocks and model systems; and a program to design and build an open-access, human MRI scanner to probe posture-dependent effects in lung function. This period yielded close to 30 refereed publications, numerous applications to present invited lectures or colloquia, and 10 funded grant applications.

Education

PhD, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia

Select Publications

1. Nielsen JA, Mair RW, Baker JT, Buckner, RL. Precision Brain Morphometry: Feasibility and Opportunities of Extreme Rapid Scans. 2018.

2. Harms MP, Somerville LH, Ances BM, Andersson J, Barch DM, Bastiani M, Bookheimer SY, Brown TB, Buckner RL, Burgess GC, Coalson TS, Chappell MA, Dapretto M, Douaud G, Fischl B, Glasser MF, Greve DN, Hodge C, Jamison KW, Jbabdi S, Kandala S, Li X, Mair RW, Mangia S, Marcus D, Mascali D, Moeller S, Nichols TE, Robinson EC, Salat DH, Smith SM, Sotiropoulos SN, Terpstra M, Thomas KM, Tisdall MD, Ugurbil K, van der Kouwe A, Woods RP, Zöllei L, Van Essen DC, Yacoub E. Extending the Human Connectome Project across ages: Imaging protocols for the Lifespan Development and Aging projects. Neuroimage. 2018 Dec;183:972-984.

3. Mair RW, Wong GP, Hoffmann D, Hurlimann MD, Patz S, Schwartz LM, Walsworth RL. Probing porous media with gas diffusion NMR. Phys Rev Lett. 1999 Oct 18;83(16):3324-7.

Highlights

2016: Contribution to multisite NIH award: Mapping the Human Connectome During Typical Development (Site Co-I)

2015: Contribution to NIH S10 award: Upgrade Siemens MAGNETOM Trio to MAGNETOM Prisma Fit 3T Human MRI System (Research Scientist)

2005: Contribution to NSF Major Research Intrumentation award: MRI – Development of Instrumentation for High-Yield, High-Rate Hyperpolarized Noble Gas Production (Research Scientist)

Website

Center for Brain Science, Neuroimaging Facility