Background and Organisational Structure

FMRIB officially opened in 1998¹ after successful efforts to secure its first MRC core grant by our Founding Professors: Alan Cowey (Experimental Psychology), George Radda (Biochemistry and now Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics) and John Newsom-Davis (Clinical Neurology).

FMRIB is based within the Department of Clinical Neurology and sited at the John Radcliffe Hospital on the Headington Campus of the Medical Sciences Division. Paul Matthews was appointed its first Director along with core staff members: Irene Tracey, Steve Smith and Peter Jezzard. In 2003 our first MRC core grant was successfully renewed, recognising FMRIB’s development and success as an internationally renowned imaging centre. In 2003 we physically extended the FMRIB Centre to its current size of near 900m² via generous financial support². This enabled our continuing growth (approximately 80 scientists and clinicians permanently based at FMRIB) and a broadening of our neuroimaging expertise beyond BOLD FMRI to include other MR-related measures of brain structure and function, such as Diffusion Tractography (DTI), high-resolution structural imaging, Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS), and Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF). The expanded space also enabled us to build laboratories for additional neuroimaging and stimulation methods including EEG, TMS, tDCS and NIRS. These non-MR techniques are used both as stand-alone methods and in combination with MR measures.

Following Paul Matthew’s departure, Irene Tracey was appointed Director from November 2005. The current FMRIB Directorate comprises: Irene Tracey, Steve Smith, Peter Jezzard, Heidi Johansen-Berg, Matthew Rushworth (Dept. Experimental Psychology) and Andrew Parker (Dept. Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics) plus Alan Cowey (Emeritus), an original founding member. The role of the Directorate is to meet termly and discuss wider strategic issues related to FMRIB and its performance and role within the University. Former Directorate members include: John Newsom-Davis, Paul Matthews and Mike Brady. In addition to the Directorate we have a Centre Staff group that looks after day-to-day management of the FMRIB Centre and its staff. This group meets once per month and is focussed on highlighting and solving infrastructure related problems to ensure a smooth and efficient operating environment. Smaller groupings exist, such as the bookers meeting group, that manage specific issues. We have an open and flexible attitude as to how we should run things ensuring that the environment is optimally conducive for the highest quality biomedical research. Several Principal Investigators drive independent programmes of research at FMRIB but our strength lies in us being a truly interdisciplinary laboratory. Please see the Research link for full details of our core scientific activities. Several PIs from FMRIB are members of the University's Imaging Management Board, a body that helps coordinate all imaging related activity across the Medical Division and whole University. This allows us to develop activities at FMRIB in the wider context of developments across the University.

¹ via core grant support from the MRC and contributions from the Wolfson Foundation, Oxford Magnet Technology, Oxford University, Glaxo Wellcome and EPA Cephalosporin Fund

²  With funding from: SRIF, HEFCE, Royal Society, Wolfson Foundation, EPA Cephalosphorin Fund, JREI and the Department of Clinical Neurology.

Historical pictures of FMRIB

Pictures from FMRIB's past and present

Public Engagement in Science

FMRIB has an active policy for communicating our research findings to the public, via regular radio, television (news and documentaries), newspaper, magazine and web/pod casts, in compliance with the University’s press office policies. Several of us are members of the Science Media Centre in London, responding to frequent calls from journalists and the public. We also actively engage with the Dana Foundation, several charities, patient groups and local community (i.e. schools). We are committed to disseminating our publicly-funded research findings to the lay community and engaging the public over scientific ethical issues as well as career opportunities in science for younger children.

Exploitation and Dissemination

Translation of our findings to health services personnel will be substantially enabled now that FMRIB is an integral part of the newly established Comprehensive Biomedical Research Centre. Oxford University has a strong history in taking forward commercial exploitation of its research via ISIS Innovation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Oxford University and regarded as one of the best technology transfer offices in the country. We have a strong history of disseminating our image analysis research via the FSL software package, which is freely available for non-commercial use and marketed successfully through ISIS for commercial applications.