Dear Imogen,
Glad to comment on your questions; I'm afraid they are very difficult to
answer as there is no simple 'right' answer to any of them. You may get a
better idea by visiting real life imaging laboratories to see how different
centres are organised, as there is a lot of variation (as with any area of
biomedical research).
> How much computer power do you need? How many PC or workstations are
> neccessary/per project?
At a minimum, you could do fMRI data analysis on your home PC. But it would
take a long time and you couldn't do much. More typically each investigator
will have their own workstation. A large fMRI centre might have upwards of
thirty or forty workstations and PCs and a terabyte storage array in the
basement (>$2m worth of hardware). Everything in between is possible.
> If you want to start forming a group from scratch, how many people do you
> need to get it going and what qualifications should they have?
At a minimum, one person is enough. But again, you can't do much alone. More
typically a single magnet might support up to five or six principal
investigators and their teams (of around six to ten postdocs and graduate
students). It's usual to have a mixture of individuals from different
backgrounds and training (physics, cognitive science, medicine, statistics
etc.) But every possible variation of size and skill mix in-between is also
possible.
> How long does it take to learn " the art of Brain Mapping" , the statistics ?
> behind etc. ? And how long does it take until the group is able to work
> sufficiently and independently on their projects?
I don't think there is any good answer to this; most scientists would
probably say that they are continually learning throughout their
professional lives; that's what research is all about. The typical
scientific career might involve 3-7 years as a graduate student (length
depending on program and country), one or two postdoctoral placements (1-2
yrs each) before taking up a faculty appointment. But this varies a lot -
sometimes faster, sometimes slower. And if you come from a different
background (e.g. Physician) then it's different again.
> I further wonder about what would be the best way to learn to use the
> respective statistics and software.programs....etc.?
I'm not sure how to answer this! Probably the best way to learn is in a
intellectually supportive collaborative environment by actually doing
research i.e hands on experience.
Hope this helps,
Best wishes,
Geraint
http://www.klab.caltech.edu/~geraint
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