Project description: Diffusion MRI is a powerful tool to quantify biological tissue microstructure in vivo and non-invasively. The goal of this project is to use advanced biophysical models of diffusion MRI to extract quantitative maps of brain microstructure in animal models of disease vs healthy controls. Possible applications include Parkinson’s disease, creatine deficiency or stroke. Because the estimation of these model parameters can be challenging (degeneracy or high uncertainty), the optimization of model fitting (e.g. via soft constraints or Bayesian uncertainty estimation) to improve biological interpretability is also a possible project lead. 

This project will be carried out within the Radiology Research Unit of the CHUV at Biopôle, under the supervision of Dr. Rita Oliveira and Prof. Ileana Jelescu. 

Start date: from January 2026 onward 

Profile: We are seeking a highly motivated master’s student with a background in Electrical/Micro/Life Science Engineering or Physics. The project is flexible and can be adapted based on the student’s background and on the University programme’s requirements. By the end, you will be able to confidently process neuroimaging data and work with biophysical models of brain microstructure. Very good coding skills are essential. 

Interested? Contact Ana.Veiga-De-Oliveira@chuv.ch or ileana.jelescu@chuv.ch