Associate Professor Zhang Zhiyong from Shanghai Jiao Tong University Visited APM

    On March 31, 2026, Associate Professor Zhang Zhiyong from Shanghai Jiao Tong University was invited by Prof. Xin Zhou at the Ultra-Sensitive Magnetic Resonance Group to deliver a lecture titled " Engineering Low-Field MRI and Translating It into Clinical Practice " in Conference Room 1819, Building M. 

    Zhang Zhiyong received his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from Xiamen University. He conducted postdoctoral research from 2015 to 2019 with Prof. Lucio Frydman at the Weizmann Institute of Science and Prof. Michael Lustig at UC Berkeley. He was twice nominated for the ISMRM Young Scientist Award, named an ISMRM Junior Fellow in 2019, and supervised student Qiu Yueqi to win the ISMRM Young Scientist Award in 2025. He is a core member of the National Engineering Research Center for Advanced Magnetic Resonance Technologies for Diagnosis and Therapy and serves on several professional committees. His research focuses on novel MRI technologies, particularly hardware–software integrated sequences and robust image reconstruction, with the goal of clinical translation and theranostic MRI.

    In his talk Associate Professor Zhang introduced his team’s research achievements from three perspectives. First, drawing inspiration from structured light optical motion tracking systems, they utilized contactless optical technology to achieve high-precision respiratory motion detection. Second, they developed physiological motion detection techniques based on radiofrequency (RF) sensing, with a particular focus on their breakthrough in "Beat Pilot Tone (BPT)" technology. Compared to traditional Pilot Tone, BPT significantly improves motion detection sensitivity by transmitting two or more arbitrary-frequency RF signals to generate intermodulation products in the receiving chain. Third, for portable low-field magnetic resonance imaging, his team developed an efficient framework for eddy current characterization and compensation.

    During the interactive session, Associate Professor Zhang engaged in lively discussions with faculty and students on topics such as motion correction principles and the potential applications of portable MRI in intensive care units.