I’m an interdisciplinary scientist who works on developing quantitative MRI methods to answer a wide range of biomedical problems.

I did a degree in Astronomy and Physics at UCL before going onto do an MSc in Radiation Physics in 1985. During that course I saw my first MRI image and was bewitched. I managed to find a PhD in quantitative MRI at the Institute of Cancer Research where I met my future husband. He works in PET so we have been in modality-competition ever since. I came to Nottingham specifically to work with Peter Mansfield and soon after was lucky enough to be made lecturer. My husband works in London, so we have had to contend with the 2-body problem, since we had two daughters who are now finishing degrees in medicine and maths/physics (my own mini MRI group!).

I’ve supervised scores of PhD students and my best days are the ones I spend talking about data and science with them. The worst days are the ones I spend correcting their theses!

I’m told it is helpful to talk about what has gone wrong in my career: I wasn’t allowed to do A’level maths at school because I was too untidy, so I had to take a year out before university to do it. I really struggled with finding a direction at the start of my PhD. I didn’t initially get the lectureship job as I was so bad at public speaking. I didn’t realise you had to ask to get promoted for quite a few years after I should have done. I have recently had a string of grants go down and have had to force myself to get up and try again, and again.