[info] PhD Studentship in Paediatric Epilepsy
Ignatius S. Condro Atmawan B.
From: Manousos Klados
Date: Fri, Apr 27, 2018 at 1:15 AM
Applications are invited for a PhD studentship in the Aston University (UK).
The Role
A PhD student position is available in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Aston University to work in collaboration with the Aston Brain Center and the Birmingha Women Children Hospital.
The Project
DeSOZ: Automatic Detection of Seizure Onset Zone from scalp EEG Signals in Children with MRE
The main aim of this project, is to develop an algorithm for the automatic localisation of the epileptogenic source, based only on high-density EEG (hdEEG), in children with medically refractory epilepsy (MRE), which is currently missing. Many patients with epilepsy seizures are proven medically resistant and respective surgery is the only remaining treatment alternative. This is performed for removing a small portion of brain tissue that is currently defined using intracranial electroencephalogram (iEEG). However, iEEG monitoring has its limitations, which are mainly found in its invasiveness, cost and the limited spatial sampling. To date, this results in a significant number of patients continuing to experience postsurgical seizures. During the last few years, high-frequency oscillations (HFOs above 80 Hz) have emerged as a new promising biomarker in pre-surgical diagnosis of epileptogenicity, while the resection of the tissue generating HFOs improves surgical outcome in patients with MRE. Despite the findings, HFOs are not used in clinical practice, mainly due to the lack of studies addressing their detection and analyses with non-invasive methods. The ultimate goal of the project is to automatically detect HFOs and localise their source of origin, by using only hdEEG, which is necessary for a solid sampling and accurate localisation of HFOs on the scalp. Achieving this. The main outcomes of the project will be so the gained knowledge for the mechanism of HFOs and their relation to epilepsy as a valuable tool for the clinicians who perform surgical operations, and patients who will refrain from invasive monitoring (iEEG).
The Person
Expressions of Interest are invited from outstanding and enthusiastic graduates with a background in mathematics, physics, engineering or informatics, who have been awarded the UK equivalent of a First or Upper Second Class Honours degree in a relevant subject or have an MSc and/or similar award or experience deemed to provide evidence of research potential. Experience with signal processing, as well as MATLAB experience or other programming languages area required. Some background in neuroscience and EEG would be an advantage.
For further information on entry requirements, please visit http://www.aston.ac.uk/lhs/research/postgraduate-research.
Application Procedure
Apply online (http://www.aston.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/apply/) and use the drop-down menus to select:
· School: School of Life and Health Sciences
· Entry month: July
· Attendance type: Full-time
· Degree type: Postgraduate Research
· Degree Programme: Research Neurosciences
Please use the “DeSOZ: Automatic Detection of Seizure Onset Zone from scalp EEG Signals in Children with MRE” as the project title and quote Ref: ‘SCHOOL_FTJuly2018’ on all applications
Studentship
Each studentship funds Home/EU tuition fees (£4,195 p.a.) plus a stipend of £14,553 p.a. and is available for 3 years subject to a satisfactory progress review at the end of the first year.
Enquiries
Further information regarding the project can be obtained by contacting Dr. Manousos Klados (m.kl...@aston.ac.uk)
Manousos A. Klados, MSc, PhD
Lecturer in Biomedical Engineering
Department of Biomedical Engineering
School of Life & Health Sciences, Aston University
Room: MB555 | Email: m.kl...@aston.ac.uk
Phone: +44(0)1212043740
Websites: http://www.mklados.com &
http://www.aston.ac.uk/lhs/staff/az-index/mklados
Address: The Aston Triangle, B47ET, Birmingham, UK