Sarah Elizabeth Bohndiek is a physicist whose research involves developing novel imaging approaches for early cancer detection. She is a Professor in Biomedical Physics at the University of Cambridge and a Group Leader at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute.

Education

Bohndiek received her BA in Experimental and Theoretical Physics from the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

in 2005. She then went on to complete a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in Radiation Physics at

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

in 2008, developing novel instrumentation for identification of cancer in breast biopsy samples using X-ray diffraction methods.

Career and research

Following completion of her PhD, Bohndiek moved to the University of Cambridge where she worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Department of Biochemistry, supervised by Prof. Kevin Brindle. Her research during this period focused on the use of novel magnetic resonance imaging methods for the early detection of treatment response in cancer. In 2011, Bohndiek took the position of Postdoctoral Scholar at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

's Department of

Radiology Radiology ( ) is the medical specialty that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide treatment within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiation), but tod ...

, supervised by Prof. Sam Gambhir. In October 2013, Bohndiek returned to the University of Cambridge as a fellow of Corpus Christi College, working as a lecturer at the Cavendish Laboratory. Bohndiek's research at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute has focused on devising new imaging approaches to improve early cancer diagnosis. One project is using

hyperspectral imaging Hyperspectral imaging collects and processes information from across the electromagnetic spectrum. The goal of hyperspectral imaging is to obtain the spectrum for each pixel in the image of a scene, with the purpose of finding objects, identifyi ...

endoscopy An endoscopy is a procedure used in medicine to look inside the body. The endoscopy procedure uses an endoscope to examine the interior of a hollow organ or cavity of the body. Unlike many other medical imaging techniques, endoscopes are insert ...

to map early metabolic changes in the

oesophagus The esophagus (American English), oesophagus (British English), or œsophagus ( archaic spelling) ( see spelling difference) all ; : ((o)e)(œ)sophagi or ((o)e)(œ)sophaguses), colloquially known also as the food pipe, food tube, or gullet, ...

before cancer occurs, giving an early indication of the potential for developing the cancer. Bohndiek is co-lead of CRUK Cambridge Centre Early Detection Programme along with Rebecca Fitzgerald. Bohndiek actively promotes science as a career, working with the Stemettes, MentorSET and engaging with media and public outreach.

Awards and honours

Bohndiek was awarded the 2014 WISE Research Award sponsored by the Institution of Engineering and Technology and the Wellcome Trust. This award is given for groundbreaking scientific research by a female-led team. In 2014 Bohndiek also received the Clifford Paterson Medal and Prize, which is awarded by the

Institute of Physics The Institute of Physics (IOP) is a UK-based not-for-profit learned society and professional body that works to advance physics education, physics research, research and applied physics, application. It was founded in 1874 and has a worldwide ...

for early career contributions to the application of physics in an industrial or commercial context. She received this award for her work in developing molecular imaging techniques, which can be applied to study the response of tissue to different cancer treatments. Recognising her commitment to teaching and mentoring, Bohndiek was also awarded the ''Marie Skłodowska-Curie Prize for Nurturing Research Talent'' and a Suffrage Science Heirloom by the Medical Research Council. In 2018, Bohndiek was awarded the

Cancer Research UK Cancer Research UK (CRUK) is the world's largest independent cancer research organisation. It is registered as a charity in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man, and was formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and t ...

Future Leaders in Cancer Research Prize which recognises individuals who have produced research of international importance.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bohndiek, Sarah 21st-century British physicists 21st-century British women scientists Living people British women physicists Fellows of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge Year of birth missing (living people)