This award recognises the scientific achievements of her work developed jointly with Dr Navita Somaiah (Translational Breast Radiobiology Team – ICR), Dr Matthew Blackledge (Computational Imaging Team – ICR) and Professor Mengxing Tang (Department of Bioengineering – Imperial College London). The abstract entitled "DW- and DCE-MRI and super-resolution ultrasound imaging for monitoring breast tumour response to radiotherapy" was selected for an oral presentation at ESMRMB and selected for poster discussions at the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology meeting in Madrid and the National Cancer Research Institute festival. 

Describing her work, Megan said: “My research is multi-disciplinary, bringing together technologies from ultrasound and MRI to probe breast tumours. Combining these imaging techniques gives a wealth of information on the tumour biology, and I am interested in how the biology changes post therapy.”

On winning the award, she stated: “Winning the Best Abstract award at the ESMRMB meeting was such a lovely way to round-off my first year as a PhD student, and the boost to move forward with confidence as I begin my second year. Using super-resolution ultrasound for radiotherapy monitoring is a new clinical concept, and for this work to be recognised by the scientific community confirms that it is not only us who sees its potential. I hope that this research will lead to the improved care of patients who suffer with advanced breast cancer.”

Now beginning the second year of her PhD training, Megan reflected on the start of her journey into the field of convergence science: “My first year as a convergence PhD student was stimulating, challenging and enjoyable. I came into the PhD not knowing much about ultrasound, MRI or breast biology, but a year later I am amazed by the depth of my understanding of each field. Working across different disciplines taught me how to communicate my work to different audiences. I have learnt that disciplines should not be kept in separate boxes, that we all have a lot to learn from each other. It is exciting how much better we can understand a problem by bringing together different technologies and ideas.”

The CRUK Convergence Science Centre offers PhD training for clinical and non-clinical students and a unique PhD programme in convergence science for medical undergraduates. Read about our training opportunities here.