Dr E Macpherson
Applications accepted all year round
Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)
About the Project
Are you interested in applying physics to situations that could benefit medical diagnosis?
Terahertz (10^12 Hz, THz) pulsed imaging is a new technique with high resolution (about 20 μm) and has only emerged recently as a potential new clinical tool for medical imaging. It is a totally non-destructive imaging modality and, unlike X-ray methods, is non-ionising. A terahertz light pulse is focused onto the sample of interest and then detected coherently. A measurement at a single point is analogous to an ultrasound A-scan, or to radar. Reflections off different layers are used to determine the structure at various depths. Further, THz light is very sensitive to hydrogen bonds, and useful spectroscopic information about the skin can be revealed by Fourier transforming the time-domain pulsed data.
In this project, applications of real-time THz imaging of skin will be investigated and developed by the student. For example, it may be possible to use THz to detect early stages of skin cancer, or the lateral extent of tumours that are beneath the skin’s surface, but are not yet visible to the eye. Recent work in the group (see Figure) has shown the sensitivity of THz imaging to the water content of the outermost layer of the skin, which can be tracked in real time. The student will exploit recent improvements in instrumentation and analysis methods made by the group to utilise THz spectroscopic imaging for biomedical applications. Background information about this area can be found in our recent review [1].
Prof. MacPherson has recently joined Warwick University and received a Wolfson Merit award to support her research in the UK https://www2.warwick.ac.uk/giving/health/cancer/. For more background information regarding Prof. MacPherson’s research interests, please see her Hong Kong Group web page http://bme.ee.cuhk.edu.hk/thzgroup/. For further information do not hesitate to contact Prof. MacPherson directly on [Email Address Removed].
[1] “Recent advances in terahertz technology for biomedical applications” Q. Sun et al., Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery 7(3): 345 (2017). DOI: 10.21037/qims.2017.06.02
Funding Notes
This is a fully funded-PhD studentship at standard UK Research Council rates, available from October 2017 onwards for a 3.5 year period. The Studentship is available to UK and EU students with a 2.1 or higher degree in physics or a related discipline. For more information please see http://go.warwick.ac.uk/PhysicsPG or contact the Admissions Tutor, Dr. James Lloyd-Hughes at [Email Address Removed].
The Physics department is proud to be an IOP Juno Champion and a winner of an Athena Swan Silver Award, reflecting our commitment to equal opportunity and to fostering an environment in which all can excel.
Continue with Facebook
