About the Department of Radiology
The Department of Radiology is part of the School of Clinical Medicine and is one of several University of Cambridge medical departments which are fully integrated with Addenbrooke's Hospital. There is significant collaboration in teaching and research and the Department has been instrumental in developing many new techniques within the fields of CT, MRI, PET, and Ultrasound. It has long pioneered new methods of interventional image-guided procedures (e.g. breast and neck node histological biopsies). There are particular strengths in neuro-imaging, cardiac, and oncological imaging. Many members of the Department have performed work related to influencing national imaging policy. At present the Department is engaged in leading-edge research into the use of MR metabolic imaging using techniques such as deuterium and hyperpolarised carbon13, and in the use of deep learning and artificial intelligence in medical image analysis. These areas offer many opportunities for postgraduate research.
3 course(s) offered in the Department of Radiology
Medical Science (Radiology) - MPhil
We offer our MPhil degree full-time over 12 months or part-time over 24 months. This is a research-based degree during which students undertake a research project and produce a 20,000 word thesis. Assessment is by oral examination based on a thesis and a broader knowledge of the chosen area of research. The research area and supervisors should be confirmed prior to the application process. All students will have a principal supervisor and an adviser, and alongside regular progress meetings, day-to-day support will be provided within the research team.
Precision Medical Imaging and AI - MPhil
The MPhil in Precision Medical Imaging and AI (PREMIA) is taught by the Department of Radiology in partnership with Cambridge University Hospitals Trust and the University’s advanced imaging facilities. Advanced medical imaging technologies, driven by rapid developments in precision medicine and artificial intelligence, will transform clinical diagnostics and healthcare delivery over the next decade.
This MPhil has been developed to provide a multi-disciplinary taught course that focuses on the underlying principles of medical imaging technologies—including its physics, engineering, and mathematics—and their integration with state-of-the-art AI methodologies. The course will provide directly relevant professional training and research, educating suitably-qualified applicants through formal teaching and hands-on experience to prepare them for the future of precision imaging technologies across academic research, clinical practice, and industry.
Radiology - PhD
Our PhD course is a three to four years full-time, or five to seven years part-time research-based course.
All students will have a principal supervisor and an adviser, and alongside regular progress meetings, day-to-day support will be provided within the research team. At the end of their course, students produce a thesis of 60,000 words maximum, followed by an oral examination based on both their thesis and a broader knowledge of their chosen area of research.
Candidates wishing to take a shorter course of research may apply for the MPhil in Medical Sciences, which is also examined by thesis and viva voce.
2 course(s) also advertised in the Department of Radiology
Cardiovascular Research - PhD
From the Department of Public Health and Primary Care
The BHF 4-year PhD programme aims to train the next generation of researchers to develop innovative approaches for preventing cardiovascular diseases. Cardiovascular diseases are a major cause of illness and death worldwide. Preventing these conditions before they develop is one of the most effective ways to improve health. However, doing this requires new approaches that combine insights from biology, population health and data science.
This PhD programme will train a new generation of researchers to tackle cardiovascular disease prevention by equipping a new generation of cross-disciplinary researchers to work at the intersection of three frontiers:
Population health – analysing large-scale health data from diverse populations to understand disease risk and prevention
Systems biology – studying the biological processes underlying disease across multiple levels, from cells to whole organisms
Artificial intelligence and data science – developing computational methods to integrate and interpret complex biomedical data.
The programme brings together leading scientists from the Universities of Cambridge, Edinburgh, Imperial College London and Oxford, working in partnership with our academic or industry partners, including EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Sanger Institute, AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk, Genomics Ltd, Owlstone Medical, ThermoFischer Scientific and Flagship Pioneering. By combining interdisciplinary training with real-world collaboration, the programme seeks to equip students with the expertise and networks needed to become leaders in cardiovascular disease prevention research.
MD (Doctor of Medicine) - MD
From the Faculty of Clinical Medicine
The MD degree is a doctorate, specific to the University of Cambridge, awarded to clinicians who undertake an extended period of scientific research into the science, art, or history of medicine. It provides an opportunity for doctors to receive recognition of research achievement within an approved academic programme.
The MD programme, on a par academically with the PhD, spans a maximum of six years on a part-time basis, allowing candidates to undertake their research alongside clinical or other responsibilities, at the end of which their thesis is examined by Viva. Any candidate working in a Cambridge University Health Partner institution will be assigned a University supervisor and will become a registered student of the University and a member of one of the Colleges. Any candidate intending to work at an institution outside Cambridge must already hold a Cambridge primary degree and must apply to take the MD by Special Regulations.