Central arterial disease causes death and disability which arise from events like stroke and myocardial infarction. In the earlier disease stages symptoms may be mild or mostly even absent, but alterations in blood pressure and flow, or vessel structure and function are known to be detectable by medical imaging modalities, such as ultrasound, CT and MRI. The clearest markers of developing pathology are (1) flow disturbances, (2) fatty or calcific deposits in the vessel wall, (3) increased wall thickness/irregularity, and (4) decreased arterial distensibility.

Recently, laser-based tools have gained interest because of their precision/sensitivity, accessibility, and non-invasiveness. Such technology may extend and enhance current screening methods for central arterial disease, but yet requires comprehensive validation in primary care and clinical contexts. Moreover, because screening and diagnosis are closely related, the complementarity of (new) screening tools and established diagnostic modalities is highly relevant.

The aim of this PhD-project is to conceive, develop, and test a screening approach for central arterial disease, exploiting the complementarity of imaging modalities and parameters. The research will involve patients with (suspected) transient ischemic attack (TIA) or stroke, and patients with resistant hypertension treated with barostimulation (BAT) or renal denervation therapy (RDT).

Accordingly, the work will involve (but not limited to):

- critical review of existing literature,

- operating established diagnostic ultrasound and investigational laser-vibrometer systems,

- setting up patient-based studies in collaboration with staff of clinical departments,

- performing measurements, data acquisition and collection (subject to GDPR),

- developing signal and image processing protocols, to extract and derive relevant features,

- statistical analyses, to evaluate reproducibility and accuracy of individual and composite measures,

- scientific reporting on findings: conference presentations and publications.

The candidate:

- has a solid background in (biomedical) signal processing and image analysis,

- has experience with MatLab programming and statistical software (e.g. SPSS, R),

- demonstrates genuine affinity with clinical and biomedical science,

- has communication skills and competence fluent in English and preferably Dutch, also in writing,

- demonstrates a collaborative attitude and ability to take initiative.

This position offers a dynamic and challenging multi-disciplinary environment (Clinical Neurophysiology, Physiology, and Internal Medicine Departments), with expert supervision and high-tech infrastructure, in a top cardiovascular research institute (CARIM). 

The preferred starting date for this position is May 1, 2020.

Fixed-term contract: 4 years.

The terms of employment of Maastricht University are set out in the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities (CAO). Furthermore, local UM provisions also apply. For more information look at the website https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/support/um-employees

Maastricht University

Maastricht University is renowned for its unique, innovative, problem-based learning system, which is characterized by a small-scale and student-oriented approach. Research at UM is characterized by a multidisciplinary and thematic approach, and is concentrated in research institutes and schools. Maastricht University has around 18,000 students and 4,400 employees. Reflecting the university's strong international profile, a fair amount of both students and staff are from abroad. The university hosts 6 faculties: Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Faculty of Law, School of Business and Economics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience.

CARIM / School CD

CARIM is one of the six schools of the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences (FHML) of Maastricht University and is embedded within the Maastricht University Medical Center+ (Maastricht UMC+). CARIM collaborates closely with the Heart+Vascular Center of Maastricht UMC+. CARIM is one of the largest cardiovascular research institutes in Europe, producing more than 500 scientific articles and approximately 40 PhD dissertations per year.

https://www.carimmaastricht.nl/?culture=en-GB