Context: 14 doctoral positions are going to be offered as part of the MeDiTATe project, which is funded through the H2020 program: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Innovative Training Networks – European Industrial Doctorate. The whole MeDiTATe project aims to develop state-of-the-art image based medical Digital Twins of cardiovascular districts for a patient specific prevention and treatment of aneurysms.
You can already apply to a position at:
- Mines Saint-Etienne - Université de Lyon (France)
- Philips France SAS – Paris (France)
- Università Degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata (Italy)
The research topic will be: Personalized Ultrasound-based mechanical characterization of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).
Objectives: The objective of this doctoral position is to develop and validate an original methodology to characterize non-invasively the mechanical properties of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and intraluminal thrombus (ILT) tissues. The ultimate goal is to provide diagnostic information for clinical use on the risk of aneurysm rupture, based on clinically available imaging modalities, as an addition to the maximum aortic diameter which is currently used in clinical practice. Dynamic ultrasound imaging of deformations across the arterial walls, combined with 3D anatomical reconstructions will be acquired on patients with an AAA. Dedicated image processing will be developed in order to extract the 3D displacement fields. These 3D displacement fields will be used to calibrate a physics-based numerical model of the AAA wall subject to the pressure variations throughout the cardiac cycle. This numerical solver will permit the calibration of material properties which are intrinsic inputs of the methodology. Then, thanks to this approach, personalized tissue mechanical properties will be derived.
Description of the project:
The PhD student will be enrolled in the PhD programme of University of Lyon at Mines Saint-Etienne, France. The PhD thesis will take place at 3 different places:
- Mines Saint-Etienne (France) in the CIS department, which conducts major international research projects in the field of soft tissue biomechanics, in particular aortic aneurysms. He will collaborate with other researchers involved in ERC projects (https://www.mines-stetienne.fr/en/author/avril/, https://www.emse.fr/~badel/).
- Philips France SAS – Paris (France) which has an image processing competence centre with strong focus on clinical applications. Its mission is to design innovative image enhancement/analysis algorithms and implement them in an efficient way meeting constraints of commercial products. Philips was a pioneer in 3D Ultrasound, being first to introduce a matrix probe, and Philips Research Paris provided the first quantification tools for analysing vascular volumes.
- Università Degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata (Italy) in the Department of Enterprise Engineering which is interested in shape optimization of structural parts, shape optimization using mesh morphing and CFD (automotive, nautical, naval, aeronautic), fluid structure interaction (reed valves, vessels, aircraft wings), vibrations of orthotropic plates, advanced use of RBF (image analysis of deformations, flow fields interpolation) and large-scale high-fidelity numerical simulations of turbulent flows in complex geometric configurations.
Benefits, salary and duration:
The selected candidate will receive a salary in accordance with the MSCA regulations for ESR. The gross salary includes a living allowance (€3,270 per month, subject to MSCA country correction coefficient, i.e. 88.7% for Greece and 115.7% for France), a mobility allowance (€600 per month), and a family allowance (€500 per month, if the researcher has family by the date of recruitment, regardless of whether the family will move with the researcher or not). The guaranteed funding is for 36 months (i.e. EC funding).
Eligibility criterion:
Applicants can be of any nationality. They need to fully respect both eligibility criteria (to be demonstrated in the Europass CV): (a) Early-Stage Researchers (ESRs) must, at the date of recruitment by the beneficiary, be in the first four years (full-time equivalent research experience) of their research careers and have not been awarded a doctoral degree. (b) Conditions of international mobility of researchers: Researchers are required to undertake trans-national mobility (i.e. move from one country to another) when taking up the appointment. At the time of selection by the host organization, researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Italy for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to their recruitment. Short stays, such as holidays, are not taken into account.
Candidate profile: Candidates with strong skills in mechanics (modeling and experimental) and biomechanics are expected. Motivation and interest in bioengineering applications is recommended.
How to apply: Send CV, cover letter, BSc and MSc degrees, and letters of recommendation to avril@emse.fr.
You can already apply to a position at:
- Mines Saint-Etienne - Université de Lyon (France)
- Philips France SAS – Paris (France)
- Università Degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata (Italy)
The research topic will be: Personalized Ultrasound-based mechanical characterization of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).
Objectives: The objective of this doctoral position is to develop and validate an original methodology to characterize non-invasively the mechanical properties of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and intraluminal thrombus (ILT) tissues. The ultimate goal is to provide diagnostic information for clinical use on the risk of aneurysm rupture, based on clinically available imaging modalities, as an addition to the maximum aortic diameter which is currently used in clinical practice. Dynamic ultrasound imaging of deformations across the arterial walls, combined with 3D anatomical reconstructions will be acquired on patients with an AAA. Dedicated image processing will be developed in order to extract the 3D displacement fields. These 3D displacement fields will be used to calibrate a physics-based numerical model of the AAA wall subject to the pressure variations throughout the cardiac cycle. This numerical solver will permit the calibration of material properties which are intrinsic inputs of the methodology. Then, thanks to this approach, personalized tissue mechanical properties will be derived.
Description of the project:
The PhD student will be enrolled in the PhD programme of University of Lyon at Mines Saint-Etienne, France. The PhD thesis will take place at 3 different places:
- Mines Saint-Etienne (France) in the CIS department, which conducts major international research projects in the field of soft tissue biomechanics, in particular aortic aneurysms. He will collaborate with other researchers involved in ERC projects (https://www.mines-stetienne.fr/en/author/avril/, https://www.emse.fr/~badel/).
- Philips France SAS – Paris (France) which has an image processing competence centre with strong focus on clinical applications. Its mission is to design innovative image enhancement/analysis algorithms and implement them in an efficient way meeting constraints of commercial products. Philips was a pioneer in 3D Ultrasound, being first to introduce a matrix probe, and Philips Research Paris provided the first quantification tools for analysing vascular volumes.
- Università Degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata (Italy) in the Department of Enterprise Engineering which is interested in shape optimization of structural parts, shape optimization using mesh morphing and CFD (automotive, nautical, naval, aeronautic), fluid structure interaction (reed valves, vessels, aircraft wings), vibrations of orthotropic plates, advanced use of RBF (image analysis of deformations, flow fields interpolation) and large-scale high-fidelity numerical simulations of turbulent flows in complex geometric configurations.
Benefits, salary and duration:
The selected candidate will receive a salary in accordance with the MSCA regulations for ESR. The gross salary includes a living allowance (€3,270 per month, subject to MSCA country correction coefficient, i.e. 88.7% for Greece and 115.7% for France), a mobility allowance (€600 per month), and a family allowance (€500 per month, if the researcher has family by the date of recruitment, regardless of whether the family will move with the researcher or not). The guaranteed funding is for 36 months (i.e. EC funding).
Eligibility criterion:
Applicants can be of any nationality. They need to fully respect both eligibility criteria (to be demonstrated in the Europass CV): (a) Early-Stage Researchers (ESRs) must, at the date of recruitment by the beneficiary, be in the first four years (full-time equivalent research experience) of their research careers and have not been awarded a doctoral degree. (b) Conditions of international mobility of researchers: Researchers are required to undertake trans-national mobility (i.e. move from one country to another) when taking up the appointment. At the time of selection by the host organization, researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Italy for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to their recruitment. Short stays, such as holidays, are not taken into account.
Candidate profile: Candidates with strong skills in mechanics (modeling and experimental) and biomechanics are expected. Motivation and interest in bioengineering applications is recommended.
How to apply: Send CV, cover letter, BSc and MSc degrees, and letters of recommendation to avril@emse.fr.