At the nexus of computer science, biophysics and cutting-edge imaging research, you find the UWSMPH Department of Radiology’s new Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Wolfgang Gaggl. A proponent of translational research, Gaggl hopes to utilize the fostering atmosphere of UW-Radiology to continue his work of bridging disciplines for the benefit of patients.
The Graz, Austria native began his career with a degree in electrical engineering, and then went on to earn his Ph.D. in biophysics from the Medical College of Wisconsin last year. Gaggl then joined the Department of Otolaryngology, where he worked on EEG and functional MRI (fMRI), and later Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI).
During his time at UW, Gaggl plans to work more in-depth on “structural connectivity with DTI to effective connectivity on the human connectome.” Gaggl was also granted a 2-year fellowship from the NIH at UW-Madison’s Computation and Informatics in Biology and Medicine (CIBM) program to focus on automating resting state fMRI as a clinical tool in the lab of Dr. Vivek Prabhakaran.
These varied backgrounds and current research interests consolidate to form the backbone of Gaggl’s true ambition:
providing patient care through advancing technology. This, Gaggl says, “necessitates close collaboration between imaging
and treatment departments.” In fact, says Gaggl, this is one of the reasons he is most looking forward to being at UW. “I met so
many people here that are deeply committed to both their research and collaborative efforts… I [find] this to be a very fertile ground for translational research. ”