Image Analysis of Peripheral Nerves - development of next-generation magnetic resonance neurography

PhD Position
Written By Kai Peter

PhD Position

Status: open

Start date: asap

Title: PhD Position in Image Analysis of Peripheral Nerves - development of next-generation magnetic resonance neurography

Description:
We are looking for a highly motivated PhD candidate who is interested in working at the intersection of engineering, physics, and medicine to advance the MRI of peripheral nerves.

Project background and aims:
MRI of peripheral nerves, MR neurography, is a complementary and non-invasive diagnostic tool for evaluating peripheral nerve diseases. It enables morphological investigation of proximal and deeply situated nerve segments but is limited by the MRN sequence characteristics, such as being 2-D with limited anatomical coverage due to long acquisition times (e.g. ~1 hour for an entire lower extremity), and sensitivity to motion artifacts. These challenges limit their extended use despite their potential of shedding new insights into nerve pathology. This project aims to develop an entirely new MRN sequence with an automated AI-based postprocessing tailored for assessing the nerve morphology including a substructural analysis of nerve fascicles and quantification of lesions at high resolution and large coverage. The work of the PhD student involves developing AI-based image segmentation methods for nerves and muscles, proposing novel substructural markers for nerve compartmentalization, and performing data analysis of the extracted clinical parameters. The developed methodology will be validated in a clinical study involving healthy volunteers and patients. Alongside this PhD position, another PhD student will work on MR sequence development, complementing a strong team to deliver next generation MR neurography.

Research environment:
The candidate will join an international research project lead by the Department of Neurology at the Inselspital Bern, Switzerland in close collaboration with the NMR Laboratory, Institute of Myology in Paris, France. Both institutes host Siemens 3T scanners and additionally a 7T in Bern. Modern GPU clusters are available at the Inselspital Bern and the University of Bern. The position is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation and available for 3.5 years. The prospective PhD student will enrol in the Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Bern and be supervised by PD Dr. med. Olivier Scheidegger (physician) and PD Dr. Richard McKinley (AI scientist).

Your qualifications:

  • You have a MSc degree in electrical or biomedical engineering, computational sciences, physics, mathematics, or related field. Familiarity with AI/ML is a plus.

  • You are at ease with programming, image processing and data analysis.

  • Prior experience with programming and image processing is an advantage.

  • Strong team spirit and ability to work autonomously with a willingness to learn.

  • Excellent oral and written skills in English. German and French are a plus.

Supervisor: PD Dr. med. Olivier Scheidegger (physician) and PD Dr. Richard McKinley (AI scientist)

Departement: Department of Neurology at the Inselspital Bern, Switzerland

Language: English

Contact: olivier.scheidegger@insel.ch - by email with the subject mentioning “ImgAna PhD position”.

How to apply: Send us a cover letter describing why do you want to work with us and what excites you about the project and image analysis, your CV, the contact details of two references, and your MSc thesis (if available).

Kai Peter