Rob Holtackers
Assistant Professor
Rob Holtackers has worked in cardiovascular MRI since 2014. He earned his MSc in Medical Engineering (cum laude) from Eindhoven University of Technology in 2015, following a 4-month research internship at King's College London. That same year he began his PhD at Maastricht University Medical Center+ (Maastricht UMC+), developing cardiovascular MRI techniques to improve detection and visualisation of subendocardial myocardial fibrosis. He joined the Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine at Maastricht UMC+ as a permanent staff member in 2017. In 2022, he defended his dissertation, “Visualising the invisible: dark-blood late gadolinium enhancement MRI for improved detection of subendocardial scar,” with cum laude distinction.
Rob is currently MRI Physicist at Maastricht UMC+, and Assistant Professor at Maastricht University, leading the development, validation, and clinical translation of advanced cardiac MRI techniques. His research focuses on CMR methodology, myocardial tissue characterisation, interventional CMR, and free-running motion-resolved imaging, bridging technological innovation and clinical implementation to improve cardiovascular diagnosis and patient care.
Rob also holds international appointments as Visiting Senior Lecturer at King's College London (UK) and Visiting Assistant Professor at Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV, Switzerland), and is a member of EACVI, SCMR, ESCR, ECR and ISMRM. Within EACVI, he serves on the CMR Examination and Certification Committee, and acts as section editor for Topics in Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine.
In 2026, Rob obtained a Master's degree in Dutch Law, specialising in Commercial and Company Law, further broadening his academic and professional expertise beyond the field of (bio)medical imaging.




