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  Clean measurements from messy microscopy images


   School of Physics and Astronomy

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  Dr Jonathan Taylor  No more applications being accepted  Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

About the Project

Optical physics has brought remarkable advances to biological imaging (confocal microscopy, superresolution microscopy, light sheet microscopy…), but imaging alone is not enough without quantitative analysis of the image data (for instance: flow velocity measurement, motion correction, fluorescence lifetime for force inference, …). This need for quantitative analysis is often hampered by sub-optimal imaging conditions, with noise and incomplete information presenting significant barriers. An image-based measurement method typically starts with a very high-dimensional input (e.g. a megapixel image) and seeks to condense it down to a low-dimensional measurement - but common approaches break down when the image becomes noisy, incomplete or suffers from artefacts. Computational techniques such as maximum likelihood estimation and deconvolution are much more versatile than is often appreciated, and they offer considerable untapped possibilities for improving biophysical measurement.

In this project you will build on existing research experience within our group, to explore computational approaches for recovering high quality images from “wobbly” raw data, and determine accurate blood flow maps without recourse to very large amounts of raw image data. A key fundamental question to be answered is how much useful information content is there in noisy raw image data. The project is primarily a computational one, but it is very closely tied to practical experimental work and is strongly motivated by a desire to improve the imaging techniques available to permit us and our biomedical collaborators to better understand biological systems, ultimately benefitting human health through improved scientific understanding.

You will learn advanced skills in computational and mathematical physics, with applications in optical imaging. You will also develop valuable skills in interdisciplinary collaboration and communication that are becoming increasingly crucial for modern cross-disciplinary research, and work in a research area where your work will ultimately bring genuine benefits to human medicine. You will be based in the School of Physics and Astronomy at Glasgow University, supervised by Dr Jonathan Taylor in a research group in which individuals from a diverse range of backgrounds are all supported to thrive. You will join at an exciting time for the group, with several major research projects in advanced microscope technology recently started. The Imaging Concepts Group consists of about 20 researchers (PhD/EngD students, postdocs, visiting scholars and academics) conducting leading-edge research in advanced imaging techniques and their commercial and biomedical applications; we collaborate with a range of academic and industrial partners in the UK and abroad. Existing research in our group includes: adaptive/compressive imaging in microscopy & computer vision, realtime image analysis for heartbeat-synchronized imaging, and hyperspectral imaging for medical and industrial applications. More information about my own research and that of our wider group can be found at https://jmtayloruk.github.io/research and http://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/physics/research/groups/imagingconcepts

 The project calls for a student with strong analytical and computational skills, and an enthusiasm for applying these to real-world applications. The ideal student will have: 

 - Experience and aptitude in computer programming (preferably in Python) to tackle practical problems in experimental physics, and be keen to develop these skills further;

 - An interest in interacting with experimental physicists and biologists.

 - An enthusiasm for innovation and creative thinking; 

 - A 1st or 2.i class degree (awarded, or predicted) in Physics or a related physical science - or equivalent standard degree from an overseas university.

Funding for UK applicants is available in competition with other projects and applicants. We particularly welcome applications from groups that are currently underrepresented in physics - and we can support you to apply for a number of scholarship schemes specifically available for UK applicants who meet this description. Competitive scholarship funding may also be available for the very strongest international applicants. Interested applicants should get in touch as soon as possible, sending a CV and covering letter to [Email Address Removed] that describes briefly what interests them about this specific project, and details how they meet the above criteria. The position is available for an October start and is one of several research opportunities available at Glasgow in the area of biomedical imaging.

Biological Sciences (4) Physics (29)

Funding Notes

Funding for UK applicants has become available at short notice (in competition with other projects) so interested applicants should get in touch as soon as possible.


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