Faculty profile

Alex MacKay

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Professor EmeritusUBC Physics & AstronomyUniversity of British Columbia

Alex MacKay

Professor Emeritus

UBC Physics & Astronomy

University of British Columbia

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Supervision signals

Emeritus professors are retired and rarely take new students.
3 publications in the last five years, latest in 2025.
Principal investigator on 10 research grants (8 NSERC, 2 CFI), most recently in 2015.
Supervisor on 1 trainee award (1 HRBC), most recently in 2007.

These signals come from public records, including federal and provincial funding decisions. Ask the professor or the graduate program whether they are taking new students.

Academic metrics

Publications

814

Citations

Collaborators

Grants

Publications by year

Counts cover the publications linked to this profile. Citations and the h-index appear when the source records them.

Profiles and links

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Signals and details

Research

Read how they describe their research on their University of British Columbia profile.

Latest papers

Magnetization transfer imaging using non-balanced SSFP at ultra-low field.
Magnetic resonance in medicine · 2025
Microstructure-informed brain tissue classification using clustering of quantitative MRI measures.
Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.) · 2025
AAV5-miHTT-mediated huntingtin lowering improves brain health in a Huntington's disease mouse model.
Brain : a journal of neurology · 2023

All 15 publications

Latest funding

Prediction of Cognitive and Motor Symptom Progression in Multiple Sclerosis Using Myelin Imaging
CIHR · 2021 · Co-investigator
$504,900
Hybrid PET/MRI: an integrated approach to the investigation of brain function in health, disease and populations at risk
CFI · 2017 · Co-investigator
$4,346,250
Proton Magnetic Resonance of Biological Systems
NSERC · 2015 · Principal investigator
$240,000

All 19 grants and awards

15 publications.

Magnetization transfer imaging using non-balanced SSFP at ultra-low field.

Balaji S, Wiley N, Dvorak A, Padormo F, Teixiera RPAG, Poorman ME, MacKay A, Wood T, Cassidy AR, Traboulsee A, Li DKB, Vavasour I, Williams SCR, Deoni SCL, Ljungberg E, Kolind SH

Magnetic resonance in medicine20256 citationsOpen Access

DOI: 10.1002/mrm.30494 PMID: 40096549

Microstructure-informed brain tissue classification using clustering of quantitative MRI measures.

Balaji S, Obajtek M, Vavasour IM, Dvorak A, Gilbert G, Johnson P, Tam R, Laule C, Li DKB, Traboulsee A, MacKay A, Kolind SH

Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)20251 citationsOpen Access

DOI: 10.1162/imag_a_00526 PMID: 40800808

AAV5-miHTT-mediated huntingtin lowering improves brain health in a Huntington's disease mouse model.

Thomson SB, Stam A, Brouwers C, Fodale V, Bresciani A, Vermeulen M, Mostafavi S, Petkau TL, Hill A, Yung A, Russell-Schulz B, Kozlowski P, MacKay A, Ma D, Beg MF, Evers MM, Vallès A, Leavitt BR

Brain : a journal of neurology202326 citationsOpen Access

DOI: 10.1093/brain/awac458 PMID: 36508327

Temperature dependence and histological correlation of inhomogeneous magnetization transfer and myelin water imaging in ex vivo brain.

Prevost VH, Yung A, Morris SR, Vavasour IM, Samadi-Bahrami Z, Moore GRW, Laule C, Mackay A, Kozlowski P

NeuroImage202118 citationsOpen Access

DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118046 PMID: 33848620

Myelin Water Fraction Imaging of the Brain in Children with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure.

McLachlan K, Vavasour I, MacKay A, Brain U, Oberlander T, Loock C, Reynolds JN, Beaulieu C

Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research201913 citations

DOI: 10.1111/acer.14024 PMID: 30889291

Data fusion detects consistent relations between non-lesional white matter myelin, executive function, and clinical characteristics in multiple sclerosis.

Baumeister TR, Lin SJ, Vavasour I, Kolind S, Kosaka B, Li DKB, Traboulsee A, MacKay A, McKeown MJ

NeuroImage. Clinical201910 citationsOpen Access

DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101926 PMID: 31412310

Detecting white matter activity using conventional 3 Tesla fMRI: An evaluation of standard field strength and hemodynamic response function.

Courtemanche MJ, Sparrey CJ, Song X, MacKay A, D'Arcy RCN

NeuroImage201861 citations

DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.12.008 PMID: 29229580

Education, and the balance between dynamic and stationary functional connectivity jointly support executive functions in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

Lin SJ, Vavasour I, Kosaka B, Li DKB, Traboulsee A, MacKay A, McKeown MJ

Human brain mapping201845 citationsOpen Access

DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24343 PMID: 30240533

Rapid myelin water imaging in human cervical spinal cord.

Ljungberg E, Vavasour I, Tam R, Yoo Y, Rauscher A, Li DKB, Traboulsee A, MacKay A, Kolind S

Magnetic resonance in medicine201732 citationsOpen Access

DOI: 10.1002/mrm.26551 PMID: 28940333

Cortical thickness and metabolite concentration in chronic stroke and the relationship with motor function

Paul W. Jones, Michael Robert Borich, Irene Vavsour, Alex L. MacKay, Lara A. Boyd

Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience201625 citationsOpen Access

DOI: 10.3233/rnn-150623 PMID: 27258945

Prediction of Cognitive and Motor Symptom Progression in Multiple Sclerosis Using Myelin Imaging

Co-investigatorCIHR2021Project Grant

Principal investigators: Kolind, Shannon; Traboulsee, Anthony

Keywords: Brain; Cognitive Impairment; Diffusion Imaging; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Multiple Sclerosis; Myelin; Myelin Water Imaging; Neurodegeneration; Progression; Spinal Cord

$504,900

Hybrid PET/MRI: an integrated approach to the investigation of brain function in health, disease and populations at risk

Co-investigatorCFI2017Innovation Fund: Innovation Fund 2017

Principal investigators: Sossi, Vesna

Keywords: Brain Health, Multimodality Brain Imaging, Addictions, Aging, Dementia, Mood disorders, Multiple Sclerosis, Neurodegeneration, Rehabilitation Multimodal Brain Imaging, PET/MRI, Biomarkers, Data Analysis and Fusion

$4,346,250

Proton Magnetic Resonance of Biological Systems

Principal investigatorNSERC2015Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Mackay, Alex

$240,000

Three Tesla MRI scanner and Electrophysiology and Neuromodulation Laboratory for the UBC Multimodal Neuroimaging Centre

Principal investigatorCFI2015Innovation Fund: Innovation Fund 2015

Principal investigators: MacKay, Alex

Keywords: Neuroimaging, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, electrophysiology, neuromodulation 3.0T MRI, Transcranial magnetic stimulation, fMRI/EEG, NIRS, tDCS, GVS, fMRI/TMS

$2,457,048

Neurobiological correlates of TMS

Co-investigatorBRAIN20152014 MIRI Team Grants

Principal investigators: Doudet, Doris

Keywords: Central Nervous System; Other

$865,517

Structural and Functional Correlates of Neuroplastic Change Associated with Stroke Recovery and Learning

Co-investigatorCIHR2013Operating Grant

Principal investigators: Boyd, Lara

Keywords: Brain; Diffusion Tensor Imaging; Human; Learning; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Myelin; Neuroplasticity; Stroke; White Matter

$502,863

Proton magnetic resonance of biological systems

Principal investigatorNSERC2010Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: MacKay, Alex

$300,000

Child & Family Research Imaging Facility

Co-investigatorCFI2009Innovation Fund: New Initiatives Fund 2009

Principal investigators: Oberlander, Tim

Keywords: magnetic resonance, 3 Tesla, pediatrics, brain, development, injury, recovery, neuroscience, perinatal, epigenetics

$4,848,759

Correlation Between Results from a New Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technique to Measure Myelin in the Spinal Cord and Somatosensory Evoked Potentials

SupervisorHRBC2007Research Trainee Award

Principal investigators: MacMillan, Erin

Proton magnetic resonance of biological systems

Principal investigatorNSERC2005Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: MacKay, Alexander

$210,000

From public funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998 with their latest competition results, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Genome Canada, the Canadian Space Agency, Canada Research Chairs, the Fonds de recherche du Québec, Ontario research funding, Michael Smith Health Research BC, the Canadian Cancer Society, Heart & Stroke and Brain Canada.

Profile data last refreshed on September 29, 2026 from the university directory, publication records and public research funding records.

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Alex MacKay

Research

Latest papers

Latest funding

Magnetization transfer imaging using non-balanced SSFP at ultra-low field.

Microstructure-informed brain tissue classification using clustering of quantitative MRI measures.

AAV5-miHTT-mediated huntingtin lowering improves brain health in a Huntington's disease mouse model.

Temperature dependence and histological correlation of inhomogeneous magnetization transfer and myelin water imaging in ex vivo brain.

Myelin Water Fraction Imaging of the Brain in Children with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure.

Data fusion detects consistent relations between non-lesional white matter myelin, executive function, and clinical characteristics in multiple sclerosis.

Detecting white matter activity using conventional 3&#xa0;Tesla fMRI: An evaluation of standard field strength and hemodynamic response function.

Education, and the balance between dynamic and stationary functional connectivity jointly support executive functions in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

Rapid myelin water imaging in human cervical spinal cord.

Cortical thickness and metabolite concentration in chronic stroke and the relationship with motor function

Prediction of Cognitive and Motor Symptom Progression in Multiple Sclerosis Using Myelin Imaging

Hybrid PET/MRI: an integrated approach to the investigation of brain function in health, disease and populations at risk

Proton Magnetic Resonance of Biological Systems

Three Tesla MRI scanner and Electrophysiology and Neuromodulation Laboratory for the UBC Multimodal Neuroimaging Centre

Neurobiological correlates of TMS

Structural and Functional Correlates of Neuroplastic Change Associated with Stroke Recovery and Learning

Proton magnetic resonance of biological systems

Child & Family Research Imaging Facility

Correlation Between Results from a New Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technique to Measure Myelin in the Spinal Cord and Somatosensory Evoked Potentials

Proton magnetic resonance of biological systems

Frequent collaborators

Anthony Traboulsee

Shannon Kolind

Cornelia Laule

Roger Tam

Alexander Rauscher

Piotr Kozlowski

Martin McKeown

Sara Mostafavi

Blair Leavitt

Kaitlyn McLachlan

James Reynolds

Ryan D'Arcy

Carolyn Sparrey

Faisal Beg

Charles Krieger

Neil Cashman

Tim Oberlander

Ian Mackenzie

Mirza Beg

Xiaowei Song

Detecting white matter activity using conventional 3 Tesla fMRI: An evaluation of standard field strength and hemodynamic response function.