Modelling brain function using HiP-CT Synchrotron Imaging (Fully Funded PhD)

Lead supervisors: Dr Liwei Guo, Dr Claire Walsh and Prof. Peter Lee

Eligibility: Open to UK students and international students

Fully Funded: 3 years of Home tuition fees (currently £5,860/year) and a tax-free maintenance stipend of £24,000 per year

In 2020 a new X-ray imaging method, known as Hierarchical Phase-Contrast Tomography (HiP-CT, see mecheng.ucl.ac.uk/hip-ct/), was co-developed by UCL and the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble France. HiP-CT provides unprecedented high resolution 3D images of whole human brains (ex vivo, down to 1 µm/voxel in regions) (https://bit.ly/HiP-CT-video07).

There are ongoing efforts to segment structures of interest from these imaging data, such as vascular networks and white matter tracts. This project aims to use such extracted structures in mechanistic models of brain function, specifically the multiple-network poroelastic model, which treats the brain tissue as a permeable and deformable solid matrix; with blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) as fluid networks (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijengsci.2019.103204). The model is solved using advanced numerical methods for high-accuracy results reflecting complex fluid dynamics in the brain.

The successful PhD candidate will develop a computational platform to combine the image processing and mechanistic modelling to improve the current understanding of neurodegenerative diseases, such as stroke. More specifically, the successful applicant will assist with reconstruction of high-resolution human brain models from HiP-CT images, focusing on vasculature and permeability distribution. The student will then use the multiple-network poroelastic model to obtain high-accuracy fluid dynamic characteristics, such as blood flow and CSF pressure, in the brain, which can be used to identify abnormalities in stroke patients, help early diagnosis and provide a virtual tool to evaluate different treatments.

Person Specification

• Applicants should ideally have a first class undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in Physical Sciences (Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics or Physics).
• Knowledge of image processing and strong computer programming skills are required.
• Applicants should have an interest in bio-medical imaging, fluid-structure interaction and finite element methods.
• Excellent organisational, interpersonal and communication skills, along with a stated interest in interdisciplinary research, are essential.

Eligibility

This studentship is available to candidates who qualify for Home tuition fees: candidates from the UK or from the EU with settled or pre-settled status in the UK. International students are also welcome to enquire and exceptional students may be considered, especially if they have partial funding through other scholarships. Please see here for further information about student fee status.

Applicants whose first language is not English are required to meet UCL's English language entry requirements.

Please do not enquire about this studentship if you are not eligible to apply. Please refer to this webpage for full eligibility criteria: Mechanical Engineering MPhil/PhD

How to apply

Eligible applicants should first contact Dr Liwei Guo (liwei.gu[Email Address Removed]), Dr Claire Walsh ([Email Address Removed]) and Prof Peter Lee ([Email Address Removed]). Please enclose the following documents:

• A one-page statement outlining suitability for the project
• A two pages CV (including contact details of two referees)

After discussing the project with the supervisory team, eligible applicants should also submit a formal PhD application via the UCL website.

The supervisory team will arrange interviews for short-listed candidates.