From September to November 2025, Huaijin Gao, an outstanding undergraduate student from the College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science at Zhejiang University, participated in a two-month research training program at the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Harvard Medical School. Supported by this world-class medical research platform and through close collaboration with a leading international research team, she conducted systematic studies in the field of ultra-low-field magnetic resonance imaging and achieved fruitful results.
Rooted in a World-Class Research Platform and Dedicated to Cutting-Edge Technologies
This research training was jointly supervised by Professor Matthew Rosen, Dr. Sheng Shen, and Dr. Neha Koonjoo at Harvard Medical School. As a leading institution in the global life sciences and translational medicine community, the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging is jointly supported by Massachusetts General Hospital and the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences & Technology. The Center is dedicated to advancing innovation in biomedical imaging technologies and their clinical translation, providing critical support for scientific breakthroughs worldwide.
Currently, the Martinos Center comprises 45 specialized laboratories, employing around 150 full-time researchers, along with more than 200 affiliated scholars, including visiting researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students. It has established a multidisciplinary, collaborative research ecosystem. Its core technical portfolio spans frontier areas such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), magnetoencephalography (MEG), electroencephalography (EEG), diffuse optical imaging (DOI), positron emission tomography (PET), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and molecular imaging, providing researchers with comprehensive and advanced technological support.
Under the supervision of Professor Matthew Rosen, Huaijin Gao focused on the core topic “Application of Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting in Ultra-Low-Field MRI.” Taking into account the unique characteristics of ultra-low-field MRI hardware, she optimized and refined traditional imaging sequences, successfully achieving a significant improvement in scanning efficiency and laying an important foundation for the clinical translation of this technology.
During the research training, Huaijin Gao demonstrated exceptional efficiency in completing all assigned tasks. She prepared and submitted an abstract to an international academic conference and actively contributed to the writing of the group’s core research paper. Her research insight and data analysis skills were highly recognized by the supervising team. At the same time, she made full use of the academic resources of the Martinos Center, Harvard University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology—participating in multiple high-level academic seminars and attending lectures delivered by renowned professors from both institutions. These experiences further strengthened her academic foundation and broadened her global scientific perspective.
Reflecting on her research experience, Huaijin remarked:
“The research environment at Harvard Medical School is both open and inclusive. Its interdisciplinary collaboration model and data-driven research philosophy not only expanded my academic horizons but also deepened my understanding of the pathways to scientific innovation. Through interdisciplinary teamwork, I realized the critical role of collaboration in advancing research, which further strengthened my determination to devote myself to the fields of neuroimaging and precision medicine. In the future, I will continue to delve deeply into magnetic resonance imaging technology and strive to contribute the strength of youth to the cause of human health.”
