Pavey wins two-year imaging science fellowship
Shawn Pavey, a doctoral student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science, has received the Imaging Science Pathway Trainee Fellowship Award
Shawn Pavey, a fourth-year doctoral student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science, recently received the Imaging Science Pathway Trainee Fellowship Award from the Imaging Sciences Pathway in the Roy and Diana Vagelos Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, co-administered by the School of Medicine and Arts & Sciences. The two-year fellowship is funded by an institutional training grant through the National Institutes of Health.
“This program is giving me an opportunity to brainstorm how I can incorporate more imaging modalities into my PhD project,” Pavey said. “I have access to more equipment and other resources that will be very helpful.”
Pavey is a graduate researcher in the lab of Spencer Lake, associate professor of mechanical engineering & materials science, where he studies elastin, a structural protein similar to collagen, and its function in tendons.
Pavey, who earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from WashU in 2020, said he’s been interested in imaging since he was an undergraduate student performing research in the lab of Jessica Wagenseil, vice dean for faculty advancement and professor of mechanical engineering & materials science. Now, through this fellowship, he’ll have the opportunity to take more in-depth courses that will help broaden his understanding of the field.
“Image processing can be like coding where you have some people who are more formal and other people who just pick it up and the code works, but they aren’t formally trained,” Pavey said. “I’m excited because these courses are potentially going to help me learn best practices and ensure I’m doing the highest quality work I can.”
Along with more formal in-depth imaging training, including courses on the advanced mathematics required to process images, Pavey said he also hopes to incorporate other skills into his studies.
“I love interdisciplinary work, which is one of the foundations of this imaging science pathway,” Pavey said. “I’m trying to build skills in data science, coding and modeling throughout my PhD, and this grant will give me the background I need to write code to analyze different imaging modalities in the future.”
