Biography

Robert Thomen is an assistant professor with a joint appointment with the Department of Biomedical, Biological and Chemical Engineering and the School of Medicine’s Radiology Department.

Thomen’s research gives the lungs another look. His team has hypothesized that a new way to see what is happening inside the lungs using hyperpolarized gas will make both treatments and diagnoses more precise. Thomen, who runs the Mizzou Pulmonary Imaging Research Lab, hopes these detailed scans can help researchers investigate, diagnose and treat diseases like COPD, asthma, cystic fibrosis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema.

Education

• PhD from Washington University in St Louis
• MS from Creighton University
• BS from Creighton University

Technical Focus

• Hyperpolarized gases
• Pulmonary imaging
• MRI physics