Alumni Spotlight - Ronan

Ronan completed his honours degree with IMAGE Otago in 2024 before receiving funding to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) at Oxford. Ronan chose Oxford for 3 reasons, first because he wanted to learn how to think and explore scientific enquiry in a different way - "What kind of questions can we ask and how  might we explore them?". Second, he was looking to join one of the leading hubs for developments in MRI, a field that he believes has enormous, untapped potential to produce meaningful change. Finally, he wanted to engage with a globally diverse academic community and challenge the widespread reductionist approach that dominates health science within a Western European context. While working towards a DPhil Ronan also works as an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scanner operator, and is actively involved with the community as an ambassador for brain health research (he's even received an OxCIN Good Citizen Award!). 

Ronan's research focuses on a processes called neuroinflammation, which is linked to neurological disorders (like Alzheimer's). Ronan (and co) are developing a new MRI technique that can detect microscopic brain changes that are invisible when using conventional MRI and, importantly, are specific to neuroinflammation. Achieving this specificity is the greatest challenge, and they are working closely with collaborators around the world to develop and validate this approach using the latest imaging and microscopy techniques. Their goal is to create a tool that improves the early detection of neurological disorders and supports the development of more effective treatments.

He is always happy to chat about MRI, his research, and his path to Oxford - you'll be able find him in the Department of Psychology in late december 2027 or on Linkedin for chats