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Dr Hamied Haroon
Name:
Dr Hamied Haroon
Job Title:
Research Fellow in Biomedical MR Imaging
Place of work / study:
The University of Manchester
Area of Research:
Various
How is your research funded:
Various research grants
Tell us a little about yourself:
I love MR imaging and the exquisite pictures it offers of the living brain and body without so much as a touch! MRI also allows us to measure how we are structured and function in health, as we mature and age and when we have various conditions – all based on beautiful physics and engineering. I work as a research scientist at The University of Manchester, where I gained my PhD in 2005, developing novel MRI analysis techniques to detect subtle microstructural changes in the brain that might signal the earliest stages of dementia and other neurodegenerative conditions. We hope this will lead to finding more effective treatments and help improve the quality of life for poeple living with these conditions.
I thoroughly enjoy my research work and the way there’s a new challenge to solve everyday, and I feel very lucky to be able to collaborate with amazing participants, medical doctors and other scientists all over the world! I am a proud life-long Disabled person, Mancunian, husband and father of two. Apart from my “day job”, I am Chair of the National Association of Disabled Staff Networks (NADSN), a super-network that connects and represents Disabled staff networks (DSNs) in universities and colleges, NHS Trusts, and other public sector organisations across the UK and beyond, building an active community of impassioned Disabled people.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself:
I wear metal callipers and use a metal wheelchair so I have to stay far away from MRI scanners, otherwise I’d get stuck to them!!!
Why did you choose to work in dementia research?
MR imaging can offer so much more in diagnosing different types of dementia and monitoring how effective treatments are, in vivo and non-invasively, than its being used now!
What single piece of advice would you give to an early career researcher?
Be ambitious and know the difference you make and can make!
What book are you reading right now? Would you recommend it?
I’m not really into reading books. I can’t wait to see the new “Wonka” film though!
Can we find you on Twitter, Instagram or LinedIn?
Would you like to share your playlist?
British Neuroscience Association