Are you fascinated by the working of the human brain? Are you eager to contribute to advancing our understanding of brain functions and to novel technological methods to interact with the brain? Within the project called the Dutch Brain Interface Initiative (DBI2), we have a vacancy for a highly motivated PhD student. You will work on techniques to influence brain dynamics, specifically on non-invasive focused neurostimulation to target (deeper) brain areas and to enable closed-loop neurostimulation. In addition, you will validate your findings in phantom experiments and, ultimately, in clinical trials.
In this PhD project, you will work on modelling and full-wave simulations for electrical non-invasive neurostimulation called temporal interference. This stimulation uses multiple waveforms, slightly different
in frequency (e.g. 1.00 kHz and 1.02 kHz), such that the amplitude modulation (e.g., 20 Hz) excites neurons at a localized target. You will work on developing this technique and optimizing it in terms of spatial and temporal resolution, and dynamic adaptation. The project is about comparing temporal interference with other invasive and non-invasive stimulation modalities (magnetic, focused ultrasound), which are also being investigated in the DBI2 project. You will work on modelling and experimental validation (through phantom work) of temporal interference, while comparing this with the other proposed modalities. There will be a close cooperation with the Bioelectronics group of Delft University of Technology, and we will actively seek to validate in clinical studies, in cooperation with Ghent University Hospital and Radboud UMC, Nijmegen.
Work environmentThe Center for Care & Cure Technologies Eindhoven (www.tue.nl/c3te) stands for a healthy population and excellence in healthcare. We conduct groundbreaking work, pushing boundaries and leading the way in research, education, and healthcare. We are practical people with a high level of expertise, working in collaborative and multidisciplinary settings to renew healthcare of today and public health of tomorrow.
The work will be carried out in the Electromagnetics for Care & Cure lab of the Electromagnetics group that conducts, amongst others, research in the field of neurotechnology, MRI-engineering, and in/on body communication (
www.tue.nl/em4c&c). Our lab is an informal and inspiring environment, consisting of permanent staff members, a group of PhD students and guest (associate) professors from clinics and industry. What drives us is that we share the common goal: use electromagnetics to make healthcare better!
DBI2 projectThe research is part of the DBI2 project, which aims at advancing our understanding of brain function and brain-environment interactions by leveraging the development of a new generation of effective and minimally disruptive brain-machine interfaces. DBI2 seeks to integrate cutting-edge algorithmic and technological advances geared towards three neuroscientific applications:
- Understanding the common principles of global brain dynamics and feedback interactions between brain areas subserving cognition.
- Devising effective, ecologically-valid, minimally-invasive techniques to influence brain dynamics that will foster fruitful avenues for therapy and cognitive enhancement in patients.
- Understanding neural underpinnings of complex interactions between animals and their environment, and between animals under increasingly naturalistic conditions.
This work on non-invasive focused neurostimulation falls into the second item.