Enterprise DTP: iCASE Doctoral Training Programme
Enterprise Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) Studentships enable graduates with excellent honours degrees to undertake a 3.5 year training programme, which includes a research project plus training in research methods and transferable key skills, leading to the submission of a doctoral thesis and the award of a PhD.
Imperial College London is offering up to seven fully funded Enterprise DTP Studentships to start in 2021-22. Each studentship is tied to a specific Collaborative Award in Science and Engineering (CASE) project. Enterprise DTP students will benefit from additional training relevant to the industry through the CASE commercial partner, covering areas such as ethical standards, good laboratory practice, discovery and the development process, the R&D value chain and key activities and investment decisions, and the use of appropriate specialised equipment available to the commercial partner.
Scholarship: This is a full-time PhD research studentship starting in October 2021, supported by EPSRC and a commercial partner. A stipend of £18,000 p/a is offered for 3 years, plus additional 6 months bursary to cover writing-up period. The studentship also covers full university tuition fees (at Home level), a research training support grant (RTSG) and travel support for conferences and scientific meetings.
Research Theme: Brain tumours reduce life expectancy more than any cancer. Treatment typically includes surgery to identify abnormal tissue and remove it. Recently, techniques for tissue assessment such as hyperspectral imaging, probe-based Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy (pCLE) and Raman spectroscopy (RS) have shown promise in neurosurgery for intraoperative tumour margin delineation. However, to achieve complete tumour resection, the main challenges are to combine these techniques efficiently and to interpret the information at the time of surgery in order to identify all tumour tissue. The aim of this project is to integrate Computer Vision and Artificial Intelligence together with novel optical diagnostic techniques into a cognitive platform for surgical navigation and tissue characterisation to improve both the efficacy and safety of tumour resections. A key application of the proposed platform is the characterisation of brain tissue to guide tumour resection, but its versatile nature makes it suitable for any cancer resection procedure. To apply for this position, you will need to have a strong background in at least one of the following areas:
· Computer vision;
· Machine learning;
· Medical image computing and image guided intervention.
Eligibility: Please see the eligibility criteria for more information about academic and residence eligibility. For queries regarding the Enterprise DTP Studentships, please check the frequently asked questions page. For any remaining queries please contact Mrs Nousheen Tariq at [Email Address Removed].
Application: To apply, please send a covering letter, full CV and contact details of two referees, one of whom must be academic, to Dr. Stamatia Giannarou ([Email Address Removed]) with Subject line starting with [iCASE DTP Studentship].
Closing date: The deadline for applications is 14th May. Short-listed candidates will be informed by email and it is expected that interviews will take place in June.