Available PhD position
Dal 07.11.2018 al 31.12.2018
Descrizione Azienda:
Center for BioMedical Imaging (CIBM) and the Department of Radiology at the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and the University of Lausanne (UNIL) in Switzerland
Descrizione Posizione Offerta:
Developing quantitative MRI of the neck for the assessment of stroke risk
BACKGROUND: Atherosclerosis results in the formation of plaque in the carotid arteries, which can lead
to lethal stroke when it ruptures. While surgery and therapy can be used to prevent such rupture,
current medical imaging is not specific enough to predict which plaques will rupture. MRI can be used to
quantify several rupture risk factors, but not the inflammation severity of the plaque, which is thought to
be the most critical risk factor. The goal of this project is therefore to develop a new combined fluorine-
19 (19F) MRI and parameter (T1 and T2) mapping technique for the quantification of plaque rupture risk
factors: 19F MRI will be used for inflammation mapping, while the parameter mapping will be used for
tissue characterization. The project is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF).
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: You will have two parallel multidisciplinary projects that focus on MRI of the
neck. In the first you will develop and validate a new 3D motion-resolved parameter mapping technique,
while in the second project you will optimize the performance of 19F MRI in the clinical setting. These
projects will involve programming MRI pulse sequences in Matlab and C++, mathematical optimization
and image reconstruction, as well as scanning phantoms and healthy volunteers. Once both techniques
have been optimized, they will be validated in a clinical trial with patients that will undergo plaque
removal surgery (endarterectomy) to avoid stroke.
TIME: The position is available immediately; a PhD program will normally take 4 years to complete.
LOCATION: This PhD project will take place in the Center for BioMedical Imaging (CIBM) and the
Department of Radiology at the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and the University of Lausanne
(UNIL) in Switzerland. You will be part of a group of ~15 engineers and physicists that is embedded in the
hospital. The group has access to 4 state-of-the-art clinical MRI scanners, and has active collaborations
with the Departments of Neurology and Cardiology as well as the research department of Siemens.
YOUR PROFILE: We are looking for highly motivated candidates with a Master’s degree in engineering,
physics, life science or a similar degree, preferably at ease with programming and applied mathematics.
SUPERVISION AND CONTACT: For further information or to apply (including a CV and two references),
please contact Dr. Ruud van Heeswijk, PhD (ruud.van-heeswijk@chuv.ch), or visit www.unil.ch/cvmr.
Contatto per Candidature: Dr. Ruud van Heeswijk, PhD (ruud.van-heeswijk@chuv.ch)