Postdoc position in ultrasound image segmentation

About the supervising lab and the university:
The research will be conducted at the Lab on Cardiovascular Imaging & Dynamics which is part of the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences (https://gbiomed.kuleuven.be/english/research/50000635) of the University of Leuven (www.kuleuven.be). It is embedded within the Medical Imaging Research Center (MIRC; https://mirc.uzleuven.be/MedicalImagingCenter), a multi-disciplinary research institute with approximately 100 researchers working on fundamental and translational research in the area of medical imaging and image processing. The MIRC is located on the campus of the university hospital Gasthuisberg (www.uzleuven.be) where researchers and clinicians work in close cooperation.

Responsibilities

Background:

The tricuspid valve is the cardiac valve between the right atrium and the right ventricle. This valve has long been neglected in clinical diagnostics, although tricuspid regurgitation (i.e. leakage) is widely present in the general population. It is related with impaired quality of life, poor surgical success when the ‘point of no return’ has been exceeded, and excess mortality. Minimally invasive solutions for the native tricuspid valve could revolutionize the management of this disease. However, to date, no tricuspid valve-specific devices are available.

Context:

This postdoc project is part of a larger research effort within our department in which we aim at obtaining a deeper insight into tricuspid valvular function and its relation with right ventricular geometry and fibrosis by using state-of-the art imaging techniques and biomarkers. Moreover, we are developing a tailored 3D printed size reductor that will be used as a support for a trans-catheter valve implantation. This project will thus provide an increased understanding of the development of tricuspid valve regurgitation and lead to a better patient selection; better timing of an intervention on the tricuspid valve; and novel treatment options.

Project:

The aim of this postdoc project is to build upon our existing segmentation platform (called BEAS, i.e. B-spline Explicit Active Surfaces) to develop an automated/automatic solution to segment the tricuspid valve from volumetric ultrasound recordings. Although our primary target is to develop a mechanistic algorithm using classical image processing methodologies, learning methods or hybrid methods will also be considered. The developed methodology will extensively be validated in-vivo. The project will be executed in tight collaboration with the clinical researchers involved.

Profile

You have a PhD degree in image processing
You are familiar with ultrasound imaging and its applications
You have good programming skills in Matlab, Python and/or in C/C++
You are fluent in oral and written English
You are enthusiastic and result oriented
You can work independently with a critical mind set
You have strong team-player skills

Offer

We offer a postdoc position for 1 year that can be extended by another year with a market conform wage in a large, multidisciplinary research center in the heart of Europe, at a highly-ranked university. The position is immediately available and is co-supervised by experts in the field of ultrasound imaging, image processing and cardiology.

Interested?

For more information please contact Prof. dr. Jan D'hooge, tel.: +32 16 32 29 40, mail: jan.dhooge@kuleuven.be.
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