EngD in design of an educational functional MRI software platform

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a technique to visualize and quantify neural activity in the human brain. The analysis of measured fMRI signals is very complex, including many analysis steps encompassing the use of advanced signal and image processing methods.

Education on fMRI is included in several TU/e Electrical Engineering (EE) courses. It typically consists of oral lectures accompanied by short demonstrations of fMRI analysis software. Consequently, students do not gain any practical experience with fMRI.

The EngD trainee will perform a 15-month design project in which he/she will develop a well-documented fMRI educational software platform, that allows students to get hands-on experience with the various complex fMRI processing steps so that they gain in-depth practical knowledge of and experience with this complex medical image technique. This will enable the students to more easily solve various learning challenges that we will assign to them, and will prepare them for the foreseen increased use of fMRI in clinical research and clinical practice.