Alexander Weber: Assistant Professor at Department of Pediatrics, UBC Faculty of Medicine

Assistant Professor

Faculty of Medicine

Research Classification

Neurocognitive patterns and neural networks

Central nervous system

Research Interests

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Quantitative MRI

Brain Disorders

resting state functional MRI

myelin water imaging

Arterial Spin Labelling

Diffusion Tensor Imaging

Fractal based analysis

Concussion

Diagnostic Imaging

Epilepsy

Seizures

Traumatic Brain Injury

open science

Biomedical Engineering

Rett Syndrome

Relevant Thesis-Based Degree Programs

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Affiliations to Research Centres, Institutes & Clusters

BC Children's Hospital Research Institute

Research Options

I am available and interested in collaborations (e.g. clusters, grants).

I am interested in and conduct interdisciplinary research.

I am interested in working with undergraduate students on research projects.

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Research Methodology

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Recruitment

Looking to recruit:

Master's students

Doctoral students

Postdoctoral Fellows

Desired start dates: Any time / year round

Potential research project areas:

Neonatal Brain Imaging

Rett Syndrome

Fractal Analysis of fMRI Signals

Cerebrovascular Health

Cerebral Metabolic Rate of Oxygen (CMRO2) Mapping by Combining Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM) and Quantitative Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent Imaging (qBOLD)

Concussions / Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries

Using Advanced MRI Techniques FLAIR2 and QSM to Identify and Classify Focal Cortical Dysplasia (FCD)

Ideal Applicant Profile:

My ideal candidate is someone with experience programming (python, linux/bash, git, matlab, R), a multidisciplinary interest and background, curious, driven, humble, and good communication/interpersonal skills.

Other options:

I support public scholarship, e.g. through the Public Scholars Initiative, and am available to supervise students and Postdocs interested in collaborating with external partners as part of their research.

I am interested in hiring Co-op students for research placements.

I am interested in supervising students to conduct interdisciplinary research.

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ADVICE AND INSIGHTS FROM UBC FACULTY ON REACHING OUT TO SUPERVISORS

These videos contain some general advice from faculty across UBC on finding and reaching out to a potential thesis supervisor.

Supervision Enquiry

If you have reviewed some of this faculty member's publications, understand their research interests and have reviewed the admission requirements, you may .

Graduate Student Supervision

Master's Student Supervision

Theses completed in 2010 or later are listed below. Please note that there is a 6-12 month delay to add the latest theses.

Regional cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen and levels of respiratory support in preterm neonates (2023)

Background: Preterm birth is associated with a higher rate of brain injury and neurodevelopmental delays in children. The brain is dependent on oxidative metabolism of glucose to meet its significant energy requirements. Understanding the cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO₂) and how it is affected by ventilation in the neonatal population is crucial to the advancement of neonatal medicine. This study aims to assess the feasibility of quantifying CMRO₂ and cerebral blood flow (CBF) using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in preterm infants at term equivalent age (TEA) and to determine how various ventilatory support may affect CMRO₂. We hypothesized that increased time on mechanical ventilation would be negatively associated with CMRO2 and CBF levels in preterm neonates at TEA.Methods: Very preterm neonates (n=19) born
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Temporal complexity alterations of resting state fMRI in preterm versus term born infants (2023)

Interrupted brain maturation from preterm birth increases the consequences of altered functional development (
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