Overview
Background
Dr Thomas B. Shaw is a neuroscientist and MRI researcher at The University of Queensland whose work focuses on developing advanced neuroimaging biomarkers for Motor Neuron Disease (MND) and related neurodegenerative disorders. He leads research at the intersection of ultra-high-field MRI, computational image analysis, and biomedical AI, aiming to identify early markers of disease progression and treatment response.
His research program integrates 7 Tesla and 3 Tesla MRI, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and quantitative imaging to map brain and spinal cord changes in people living with MND. Dr Shaw helped establish the Asia-Pacific MND Imaging Initiative (AMII), a collaborative network harmonising MRI protocols across major Australian centres including UQ.
He has been successful in competitive research funding, including NHMRC, FightMND, and MND Research Australia grants, and his work appears in e.g., Nature Methods, NeuroImage, and Brain Communications.
His broader interests include metabolic dysfunction, AI-driven diagnostics, and open-science neuroimaging pipelines that enhance reproducibility and collaboration across the neuroscience community.
Availability
- Dr Thomas Shaw is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Qualifications
- Bachelor (Honours) of Psychological Science, The University of Queensland
- Masters (Research) of Neuroscience, Australian National University
- Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
Research impacts
Dr Thomas Shaw’s research is transforming how Motor Neuron Disease (MND) is studied and diagnosed in Australia. By building national and international collaborations and imaging databases for MND, he is creating the foundation for faster, more accurate detection and monitoring of this devastating condition.
Thomas co-leads the Asia-Pacific MND Imaging Initiative (AMII)—a network linking clinicians, MRI physicists, and data scientists to create Australia’s first harmonised imaging and data infrastructure for MND. This collaboration enables equitable research participation across hospitals and accelerates discoveries that can be translated into clinical practice.
His team’s work has contributed to publicly accessible datasets and open-source software that are now used by researchers worldwide.
Dr Shaw’s emphasis on open science and reproducibility is helping to democratise access to advanced imaging tools, particularly for researchers in developing regions. Through training, mentorship, and policy engagement, he is helping build Australia’s next generation of neuroimaging scientists while improving research equity and patient outcomes.
Works
Search Professor Thomas Shaw’s works on UQ eSpace
2022
Journal Article
Open-Source Hypothalamic-ForniX (OSHy-X) Atlases and Segmentation Tool for 3T and 7T
Chang, Jeryn, Steyn, Frederik, Ngo, Shyuan, Henderson, Robert, Guo, Christine, Bollmann, Steffen, Fripp, Jurgen, Barth, Markus and Shaw, Thomas (2022). Open-Source Hypothalamic-ForniX (OSHy-X) Atlases and Segmentation Tool for 3T and 7T. Journal of Open Source Software, 7 (76), 4368. doi: 10.21105/joss.04368
2022
Journal Article
Enhanced semantic memory in a case of highly superior autobiographical memory
Ford, Lucy, Shaw, Thomas B., Mattingley, Jason B. and Robinson, Gail A. (2022). Enhanced semantic memory in a case of highly superior autobiographical memory. Cortex, 151, 1-14. doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2022.02.007
2021
Journal Article
Centering inclusivity in the design of online conferences—An OHBM–Open Science perspective
Levitis, Elizabeth, van Praag, Cassandra D Gould, Gau, Rémi, Heunis, Stephan, DuPre, Elizabeth, Kiar, Gregory, Bottenhorn, Katherine L, Glatard, Tristan, Nikolaidis, Aki, Whitaker, Kirstie Jane, Mancini, Matteo, Niso, Guiomar, Afyouni, Soroosh, Alonso-Ortiz, Eva, Appelhoff, Stefan, Arnatkeviciute, Aurina, Atay, Selim Melvin, Auer, Tibor, Baracchini, Giulia, Bayer, Johanna M M, Beauvais, Michael J S, Bijsterbosch, Janine D, Bilgin, Isil P, Bollmann, Saskia, Bollmann, Steffen, Botvinik-Nezer, Rotem, Bright, Molly G, Calhoun, Vince D, Chen, Xiao ... Maumet, Camille (2021). Centering inclusivity in the design of online conferences—An OHBM–Open Science perspective. GigaScience, 10 (8) giab051. doi: 10.1093/gigascience/giab051
2021
Journal Article
Brainhack: Developing a culture of open, inclusive, community-driven neuroscience
Gau, Rémi, Noble, Stephanie, Heuer, Katja, Bottenhorn, Katherine L., Bilgin, Isil P., Yang, Yu-Fang, Huntenburg, Julia M., Bayer, Johanna M.M., Bethlehem, Richard A.I., Rhoads, Shawn A., Vogelbacher, Christoph, Borghesani, Valentina, Levitis, Elizabeth, Wang, Hao-Ting, Van Den Bossche, Sofie, Kobeleva, Xenia, Legarreta, Jon Haitz, Guay, Samuel, Atay, Selim Melvin, Varoquaux, Gael P., Huijser, Dorien C., Sandström, Malin S., Herholz, Peer, Nastase, Samuel A., Badhwar, AmanPreet, Dumas, Guillaume, Schwab, Simon, Moia, Stefano, Dayan, Michael ... Zuo, Xi-Nian (2021). Brainhack: Developing a culture of open, inclusive, community-driven neuroscience. Neuron, 109 (11), 1769-1775. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.04.001
2021
Other Outputs
Computational in vivo tissue characterisation for multi-contrast high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging data
Shaw, Thomas (2021). Computational in vivo tissue characterisation for multi-contrast high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging data. PhD Thesis, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/ae6e21a
2020
Journal Article
Longitudinal Automatic Segmentation of Hippocampal Subfields (LASHiS) using multi-contrast MRI
Shaw, Thomas, York, Ashley, Ziaei, Maryam, Barth, Markus and Bollmann, Steffen (2020). Longitudinal Automatic Segmentation of Hippocampal Subfields (LASHiS) using multi-contrast MRI. NeuroImage, 218 116798, 116798. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116798
2020
Journal Article
Towards optimising MRI characterisation of Tissue (TOMCAT) dataset including all Longitudinal Automatic Segmentation of Hippocampal Subfields (LASHiS) data
Shaw, Thomas, York, Ashley, Barth, Markus and Bollmann, Steffen (2020). Towards optimising MRI characterisation of Tissue (TOMCAT) dataset including all Longitudinal Automatic Segmentation of Hippocampal Subfields (LASHiS) data. Data in Brief, 32 106043, 106043. doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2020.106043
2020
Journal Article
Dissociable effects of tDCS polarity on latent decision processes are associated with individual differences in neurochemical concentrations and cortical morphology
Filmer, Hannah L., Ballard, Timothy, Ehrhardt, Shane E., Bollmann, Saskia, Shaw, Thomas B., Mattingley, Jason B. and Dux, Paul E. (2020). Dissociable effects of tDCS polarity on latent decision processes are associated with individual differences in neurochemical concentrations and cortical morphology. Neuropsychologia, 141 107433, 1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107433
2019
Journal Article
Non-linear realignment improves hippocampus subfield segmentation reliability
Shaw, Thomas B., Bollmann, Steffen, Atcheson, Nicole T., Strike, Lachlan T., Guo, Christine, McMahon, Katie L., Fripp, Jurgen, Wright, Margaret J., Salvado, Olivier and Barth, Markus (2019). Non-linear realignment improves hippocampus subfield segmentation reliability. NeuroImage, 203 116206, 116206. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116206
2019
Journal Article
The efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation to prefrontal areas is related to underlying cortical morphology
Filmer, Hannah L., Ehrhardt, Shane E., Shaw, Thomas B., Mattingley, Jason B. and Dux, Paul E. (2019). The efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation to prefrontal areas is related to underlying cortical morphology. NeuroImage, 196, 41-48. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.04.026
2019
Other Outputs
Accounting for variability in the efficacy of tDCS with cortical structure and neurochemicals
Filmer, Hannah L, Ehrhardt, Shane E, Bollmann, Saskia, Shaw, Thomas B, Mattingley, Jason B and Dux, Paul E (2019). Accounting for variability in the efficacy of tDCS with cortical structure and neurochemicals. The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.14264/uql.2019.12
2018
Journal Article
More highly myelinated white matter tracts are associated with faster processing speed in healthy adults
Chopra, Sidhant, Shaw, Marnie, Shaw, Thomas, Sachdev, Perminder S., Anstey, Kaarin J. and Cherbuin, Nicolas (2018). More highly myelinated white matter tracts are associated with faster processing speed in healthy adults. NeuroImage, 171, 332-340. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.12.069
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Thomas Shaw is:
- Available for supervision
Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.
Available projects
-
Integrating Multimodal MRI Biomarkers for Motor Neuron Disease
This funded PhD project will develop and evaluate multimodal MRI biomarkers for the diagnosis and monitoring of motor neuron disease (MND). The successful candidate will integrate diverse imaging measures including structural, diffusion, functional, spectroscopic, and spinal MRI into unified computational models that capture disease heterogeneity and progression.
Working within a multidisciplinary environment at UQ’s Centre for Advanced Imaging and School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, the student will collaborate closely with clinicians and patient groups. The project will involve data analysis, machine/deep learning technologies, and the development of clinically interpretable models that link imaging findings with patient outcomes. There will also be opportunities to contribute to open-source neuroimaging software and to translate research outputs into tools suitable for clinical use.
Applicants should have prior experience in at least one of the following areas: magnetic resonance imaging, medical image analysis, computational modelling, machine or deep learning, or clinical neuroscience. Strong interpersonal skills and an interest in interdisciplinary collaboration are essential.
For more details, please contact t.shaw (at) uq.edu.au
Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Doctor Philosophy
Evaluating Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Spectroscopic Imaging Techniques in Motor Neuron Disease at 3T and 7T
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Kieran O'Brien, Professor Markus Barth
-
Doctor Philosophy
Use of bioinformatics to decode disease heterogeneity in motor neuron disease
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Robert Henderson, Associate Professor Shyuan Ngo, Associate Professor Frederik Steyn
Media
Enquiries
Contact Dr Thomas Shaw directly for media enquiries about:
- 7T
- Motor Neurone Disease
- MRI
- neuroimaging
- Ultra-High Field
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