PhD Scholarship in AI-Powered Quantitative Brain PET Imaging

This is an exciting 3-year PhD opportunity within the Centre for Bioengineering at LSBU. The successful candidate will receive tuition fees and an annual tax-free stipend set at the UKRI rate for the duration of the project. The project is set to begin in September 2025.

Project Overview

This fully funded PhD project explores AI-driven methods to enhance dynamic PET imaging, a key tool for studying brain metabolism and disease. Despite its clinical value, dynamic PET is hindered by long scan times and high radiation doses, limiting its routine use in patient care.

This research will develop deep learning techniques to reconstruct full-duration PET data from shorter scans, ensuring clinical usability by maintaining diagnostic accuracy while improving patient safety and workflow efficiency. The PhD student will work with a unique clinical dataset from the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Harvard Medical School (Boston, US), a global leader in neuroimaging research, enabling rigorous validation and real-world translation of the developed methods into clinical research.

Who Are We Looking For?

Essential:

• First-class or upper second-class Honours degree (or international equivalent) OR MSc/MRes with distinction.

• Master’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, or a related field.

• Strong programming skills and familiarity with machine learning software frameworks.

• Solid mathematical background.

• Excellent spoken and written English skills.

• High motivation for translational research in a clinical environment.

• Willingness to write and publish research papers.

• Collaborative mindset to thrive in a multidisciplinary team.

Preferred:

• Experience and/or understanding of medical imaging.

The position is open to UK, EU, and overseas applicants.

The PhD candidate will benefit from extensive training in advanced neuroimaging techniques, AI-driven biomarkers’ estimation, and clinical translation. They will gain hands-on experience working with real clinical datasets, enabling them to develop skills applicable to academia, healthcare technology, and industry. Additionally, the candidate will collaborate with a team of international researchers, including those from Harvard Medical School, gaining experience in working within teams with diverse scientific backgrounds.

About the Research Group

The Centre for Bioengineering at LSBU provides a dynamic and interdisciplinary research environment, bringing together expertise in medical imaging, AI, and computational modelling. The Centre is dedicated to developing innovative solutions for healthcare challenges and is actively engaged in high-impact research collaborations with leading institutions worldwide.

LSBU is committed to research excellence, diversity, and inclusion. The university was ranked third in the world for reducing inequality in the 2024 Times Higher Impact Rankings, demonstrating its dedication to fostering an inclusive and supportive research culture

How to Apply

Before applying, please contact the main supervisor, Dr. Brusaferri @ ludovica.brusaferri@lsbu.ac.uk

In your email, include:

1. Details of your current level of study and academic background.

2. A summary of any relevant experience.

3. A brief paragraph about your motivation for pursuing this PhD project.

This advert will remain open until the position is filled, but we encourage applicants to apply early to avoid missing this exciting opportunity

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