Samantha Jane Holdsworth is a

medical physicist A medical physicist is a health professional with specialist education and training in the concepts and techniques of applying physics in medicine and competent to practice independently in one or more of the subfields (specialties) of medical phys ...

from New Zealand. She is a lecturer in medical imaging at the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

, and a principal investigator at the Centre for Brain Research.

Biography

Holdsworth was born and grew up on a family farm near the small town of

Te Karaka Te Karaka is a small settlement inland from Gisborne, New Zealand, Gisborne, in the northeast of New Zealand's North Island. It is located in the valley of the Waipaoa River close to its junction with its tributary, the Waihora River. Te Karaka is ...

, near Gisborne, New Zealand. She initially studied engineering at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, but changed to physics and completed an honours degree in the subject. She then moved to Australia and completed a master's degree at

Queensland University of Technology Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public research university located in the urban coastal city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. QUT is located on two campuses in the Brisbane area viz. Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove. The univ ...

, followed by a doctorate at the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

, in medical physics. Following graduation, she moved to the United States and worked in the Radiological Sciences Laboratory at Stanford University's Lucas Centre. In 2018 she returned to New Zealand and was appointed a senior lecturer at the University of Auckland, based in the Centre for Advanced MRI (CAMRI). She also returned to her hometown of Gisborne and has established a medical imaging research and innovation centre there to use medical imagining technology and research to improve the health and wellbeing of people, particularly Māori, in the region. Holdsworth's research has led to improvements in

MRI Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio waves ...

methodologies, including improvements to the resolution, speed and motion-robustness of MRI. These methods have in turn led to better detection of brain injury, stroke and neurodegenerative disease.

Personal life

Holdsworth is the daughter of businesswoman

Bronwen Holdsworth Dame Bronwen Scott Holdsworth (née Pearson; born 13 September 1942) is a New Zealand businesswoman and arts patron from Gisborne, New Zealand. Private life Bronwen Scott Pearson was born in Wellington, New Zealand, in 1942. She received her s ...

and engineer Peter Holdsworth.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holdsworth, Samantha Living people Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century New Zealand scientists University of Canterbury alumni Medical physicists Academic staff of the University of Auckland Queensland University of Technology alumni University of Queensland alumni People from the Gisborne District