Motivation
The study of large scale neuronal circuits throughout the brain is currently one of the biggest challenge in neurobiology. Non-invasive imaging of neuronal activity with single cell resolution is however limited to shallow depths, due to prominent light scattering beyond one millimeter.
Photoacoustic imaging, a fascinating technique relying on ultrasound generation upon the absorption of a light pulse, has been developed to overcome this issue, enabling to probe optical absorption contrast at large depths in biological tissue.
To achieve cellular resolution, the detected ultrasound bandwidth must be as large as 100 MHz, which is beyond the reach of conventional piezo-electric based sensors. We therefore developed optical sensors of ultrasound to overcome this issue [1]. This however requires an interrogation beam to be raster-scanned across the sensor, thus
preventing to reach the required frame rate for our application (>1 Hz).
Research program
You will develop a wide-field interrogation system of the optical ultrasound sensors, as well as implement data acquisition and image reconstruction approaches based on compressive sensing. By harnessing the spatio-temporal sparsity and known statistical properties of neurons and their electrical activity, this will speed up the final volume rate by at least two orders of magnitude. These techniques will first be tested in controlled
phantom samples, and then be applied to perform calcium imaging in mice.
Requirements
To be considered for this internship, you should have a strong background in physics, optics,
electrical engineering, neuroscience (with some experience in optical imaging) or any related
field. Basic programming skills are essential (Matlab or Python), as well as a certain taste for
tinkering. As you will be evolving in an international environment, you must be fluent in
English (at least C1), and exhibit excellent communications capabilities (written and spoken).
Application
Please send a detailed CV, a cover letter describing your interests and past achievements,
(max. 1 page), a copy of your university transcripts, as well as names, affiliations, and email
addresses of two references to thomas.chaigne@fresnel.fr with the subject line
"[Application]". The project can lead to a full PhD in the group.
ResearchGate
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