Doctoral Students in BNAC Receive Prestigious Awards for Global Research Excellence

Thomas Jochmann received the “Best Oral Presentation” award at the Joint Workshop on 2024 MR Phase, Magnetic Susceptibility, and Electrical Properties Mapping in Chile.

His work titled “QSM in the Presence of Nondipole Phase Shifts,” tackled a fundamental methodological issue in quantitative susceptibility mapping, aiming to improve the reliability of susceptibility-based biomarkers in clinical neuroimaging.

Jochmann works in the Magnetic Resonance Biophysics Lab under the direction of Ferdinand Schweser, PhD, associate professor of neurology in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and the BNAC’s director of sequence development.

Jack Reeves, a trainee in the MD-PhD Program in the Jacobs School, was awarded a highly competitive 2025 Marc Stecker Award for Excellence in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Research, which recognizes a student whose research is deeply informed by the lived experiences of people with MS.

Reeves has exemplified this principle through his sincere engagement with patients and a clear commitment to translating their challenges into meaningful scientific inquiry,

His award-winning work centers on paramagnetic rim lesions (PRLs) — chronic active lesions believed to represent smoldering inflammation in MS.

Reeves has authored or co-authored seven top-tier peer-reviewed publications on PRLs, contributing significantly to the understanding of chronic inflammation in MS.

His work has advanced both the quantitative imaging methodology and the biological interpretation of PRLs, and is regarded as an excellent contribution to the growing literature on biomarkers of disease progression.

Reeves also works under Schweser in the MR Biophysics Lab. His thesis adviser is Michael G. Dwyer III, PhD, associate professor of neurology and biomedical informatics, and the BNAC’s neuroinformatics director.

Fahad Salman, a student in the doctoral program in biomedical engineering, was honored with a Magna Cum Laude Merit Award at the 2025 Annual Meeting of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) in Honolulu.

His abstract, ranked in the top 15%, presented a novel longitudinal model of iron accumulation in the thalamus and putamen using change-point mixed effects analysis.

Salman also received a Best Poster Presentation Award (3rd place) at the Joint Workshop on 2024 MR Phase, Magnetic Susceptibility, and Electrical Properties Mapping in Chile, for his work titled “Impact of Regularization Parameter Choice on Real-World Sensitivity of QSM.”

He also received a Best Abstract (2nd place) award at the ISMRM in Singapore for his work titled “Decoding Sensitivity of Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping: Influence of Background Field Removal and Inversion Algorithms.”

This work advances the understanding of progressive brain iron changes in MS and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Ashley Tranquille, a trainee in the doctoral program in neuroscience, was awarded a Beverly Petterson Bishop and Charles W. Bishop Neuroscience Fund Travel Award to support her participation in neuroscience conferences in 2025.

She was also selected to attend the prestigious ACTRIMS Neuroimmunology Summit in Phoenix — a recognition of her growing contributions to MS immunopathology and neuroimaging research.

Tranquille is mentored by Robert Zivadinov, MD, PhD, professor of neurology and biomedical informatics, and BNAC director.