Dr. Richard Southworth

Biography

Rick completed his Ph.D. in cardiovascular biochemistry at the Division of Cardiovascular Research, UMDS. He worked alongside Professors Frank Kelly, Michael Shattock, and David Hearse. After his post-doctoral position at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, Rick moved to the Radiological Sciences at King's College London, where he worked with Dr. Pamela Garlick. His research focuses on developing and optimizing new applications for the PANDA system, a unique combined PET imaging and high-field NMR system. In 2008, he was appointed as a Lecturer in the Division of Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in Cardiac Molecular Imaging in 2016. His research group aims to utilize new imaging techniques to understand cardiac biology and develop novel imaging methods. They employ a combination of high-field NMR imaging spectroscopy and PET/SPECT imaging to characterize the biochemistry of the heart in health and disease, while traditional biochemical assays are also utilized for context. Rick's current work includes developing molecular imaging tools to non-invasively detect tissue hypoxia and mitochondrial injury. These tools have the potential for early detection of chronic cardiovascular conditions and assessing the effectiveness of new therapeutic approaches.

Research Interests

Experience

Awards