"You just have to be brave"
How Professor Emma MacPherson has carved her niche in a male-dominated field
(COPY)
"When I was a little girl, I wanted to be either
a hairdresser, a physiotherapist or a doctor!"
An analytical mind combined with a creative streak may be considered uncommon, but that’s what drove Professor Emma MacPherson to embark on her career in medical imaging.
“I’ve always liked physics, and I liked the idea of helping people. I wanted a career where I could be analytical and creative, and my research in medical imaging gives me that opportunity.”
And, her illuminating work has not only led to her winning prestigious awards, but also achieving incredible break-throughs in the fight against cancer.
A passion for research
After obtaining an undergraduate degree in Natural Sciences and MSci Physics from the University of Cambridge, Emma started a graduate job but found herself drawn back to research.
She returned to Cambridge to complete her PhD in biomedical applications of terahertz technology.
“Some people don’t like the idea of studying because they don’t like exams, but it's important to realise that doing a PhD is different from the exam stress of an undergraduate degree. Even if you don’t like exams, you can still do research.
“My PhD focused on using terahertz images to detect skin cancer. It connected condensed matter physics with medical applications, which was ideal for me. I’ve been in this field for about 20 years now.”
With research, it’s nice to be able to apply the theory that you learn in your courses in practice and physically see the results.
You can play with it, test it, and I like that. It’s logical too, you can predict and model it, and see those predictions come to life.
On completing her PhD, Emma spent 12 years in Hong Kong, where she worked as an Assistant Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and set up her own terahertz group.
“It was a very fun city to live in.” She explains, “It’s got so many different aspects to it. Everyone pictures the cityscapes you see in photographs, but there’s lots of countryside too – it's a really dynamic place.”
When she and her husband chose to move back to the UK in 2017, she joined The University of Warwick.
“I came to Warwick because it had the right balance of physics and biomedical research. It fitted the strategy at the time, to expand on terahertz and have someone who did medical physics too.
“When I started, it was just me and one colleague working in terahertz, so I’ve been able to see the team grow and evolve to the Ultrafast Terahertz Photonics group we have today.
Within this group, Emma also leads her own Terahertz research group, focusing on research into Terahertz medical imaging and spectroscopy.
Emma with her research group at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2015
Emma with her research group at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2015
Saving lives
with light technology
“Terahertz is a type of radiation.” Emma explained, “It uses frequency light a million times lower energy than x-rays, so it’s much safer. It’s actually used in airport security scans! My work focuses on the medical applications of this technology.
"My area of research uses terahertz to analyse the skin, identifying small changes in the skin in order to detect early stages of skin cancer. "
16,000 new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year in the UK alone
This world-first technology helps detect cancer which is invisible to the human eye.
Emma’s work involves regular collaboration with the NHS including University Hospitals of Coventry and Warwickshire. It is hoped that this research will help speed up cancer diagnosis and treatment times, relieving pressure and reducing costs for the NHS.
Emma with the terahertz scanning machine
Emma with the terahertz scanning machine
Investing in surgical robotics
Collaboration is helping to drive forward exciting new projects for Emma too. She is currently working with University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) and the universities of Leeds and Exeter on a new project which has secured £8 million funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
The Terabotics Programme will integrate terahertz technology with surgical robotics for the first time, to allow for early detection and improved treatment of cancer. It’s the first time this technology has been developed to be used in a hospital setting.
Connecting the puzzle pieces
Professor Joseph Hardwicke, Medical Lead for the project at UHCW, said:
“This is a whole new area of diagnostics, like how MRI in the 1980s revolutionised medical imaging. Even though we are still building evidence, there seems to be a lot of pieces of the jigsaw that make logical sense."
A man's
world
In 2023, Emma became the first female winner of the International Society of Infrared, Millimeter and Terahertz Waves Exceptional Service Award.
Established in 2010, the award recognises a single individual who has continuously contributed towards the Society’s goals. As well as being the first female winner, Emma was also the youngest person to ever receive the award.
Emma has attended the Society’s conferences since the early 2000s. In 2009, she was invited to officially join the committee and went on to host the conference in 2015, the first woman to do so in the 40 years it had been running.
Taken at the 40th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter and Terahertz Waves, Emma stands alongside conference chairs past, present and future
Taken at the 40th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter and Terahertz Waves, Emma stands alongside conference chairs past, present and future
Emma has never let working in a male-dominated field deter her, saying “I’ve just always liked physics. In my A Level Physics class, there were only two girls, and in my degree it was around 10% – you kind of get used to being in the minority.”
She also works on a committee which supports and encourages female academics to apply for prizes, explaining "If you're in a field where men are the majority, then the majority of people winning prizes is also men, I suppose. We want to help women change that.”
She continues “The men may do things their way, but you can do things in your own way. You’re unique and the rules can match you. In general, people are welcoming - you just have to be brave enough to go there."
“In general, people are welcoming.
You just have to be brave enough to go there.”
Professor Emma MacPherson
Department of Physics
Head of Warwick Terahertz Research Group
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