Biomedical Engineering with Deep Learning based Video Analysis

This project aims at researching deep learning algorithms for analyzing video data, including traditional video and more advanced geometric features (e.g. 2D/3D human poses/gestures) to solve biomedical engineering challenges.

About This Project

More and more researchers are now tackling problems in biomedical engineering with deep learning due to its strength in modelling complex data. In this project, you will research the deep learning algorithms that can model spatial and temporal features from videos, thereby facilitating automatic solutions in biomedical engineering. For example, deep features on video can be used for the diagnosis of motion-based diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and cerebral palsy. Video analysis can also be used for surgery monitoring and skill assessment. Deep learning algorithms for human pose estimation and object detection can further enhance the performance of these applications. Successful outcomes can facilitate large-scale, automatic biomedical analysis at a low cost.

Related past research from our team includes:

• A Pose-based Feature Fusion and Classification Framework for the Early Prediction of Cerebral Palsy in Infants, IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering http://hubertshum.com/pbl_tnsre2022features.htm
• MPose-based Tremor Classification for Parkinson’s Disease Diagnosis from Video, Proceedings of the 2022 International Conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention http://hubertshum.com/pbl_miccai2022parkinson.htm
• Automatic Musculoskeletal and Neurological Disorder Diagnosis with Relative Joint Displacement from Human Gait, IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering http://hubertshum.com/pbl_tnsre2018disorder.htm

Supervision

As a PhD student, you will be supervised by Dr Hubert Shum (http://hubertshum.com/), who is an Associate Professor in Computer Science at Durham University. He has published over 100 research papers in the fields of computer vision, computer graphics, motion analysis and machine learning. He has led funded research projects awarded by the UK Research Council, the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Society. This has facilitated him to supervised 23 PhDs and 6 Post-doctoral Researchers. Engaging both the academic and the industry, he hosted international conferences such as BMVC and the ACM SIGGRAPH Conference on MIG, as well as served as an Associate Editor of CGF and a Guest Editor of IJCV.

During the PhD study, you will receive comprehensive training and research coaching through regular one-to-one meetings with Dr Shum. Such interactive and tailored support can develop your strength and consolidate your research knowledge. Furthermore, Dr Shum’s research team has a supportive culture with team members from all over the world, which provides assistance and collaboration opportunities to each other. These have facilitated his past PhDs to publish their research in prestige journals (e.g. IEEE TIP, IEEE TVCG and IEEE TMM) and to develop their successful career.

Durham University

The position is based in Durham University, which is ranked the 4^th in the UK by the Guardian and top 100 in the world by QS Top Universities. As a member of the elite Russell Group, Durham University focuses on research excellence delivered by world-class academics. It is located at Durham in North East England, which is one of the safest cities in the UK with an affordable living cost. The Department of Computer Science is one of the fastest-growing departments in the University, supported by major investments in staff recruitment and a £40m new academic building. 83% of its research outputs are considered as “world-leading” and “internationally excellent” by the UK Research Excellence Framework.

Entry Requirements

• A research interest in deep learning and biomedical engineering
• Knowledge in any modern programming languages
• A relevant undergraduate or master degree with good scores
• Good English https://www.dur.ac.uk/learningandteaching.handbook/1/3/3/1/

How to Apply

You are encouraged to send an email with a resume to Dr Hubert Shum hubert.shum@durham.ac.uk for initial discussions. More information on http://hubertshum.com/

Formal applications should be done via https://www.dur.ac.uk/computer.science/postgraduate/research/