Postgraduate research project

Enhancing X-ray micro-CT scanners through hardware and software

Funding
Competition funded View fees and funding
Type of degree
Doctor of Philosophy
Entry requirements
2:1 honours degree
View full entry requirements
Faculty graduate school
Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences
Closing date

About the project

Would you like to work with state-of-the-art  hardware and innovative software, using your skills to improve world-leading imaging techniques?
microCT scanning is a key technology in non-destructive imaging across many applications. You will extend the capabilities of existing microCT scanners expanding their capabilities to improve scientific understanding.

The µ-VIS X-ray Imaging Centre is home to some of the largest and most capable microCT scanners available in UK universities, and we want to further improve our capabilities.  These scanners can reveal sub-surface information from materials, components, and biological tissue.  

We have strong links with research, industry and clinical research, and are part of the national X-ray Computed Tomography facility. Our microCT (Computed Tomography) scanners are routinely used to scan objects from fossils, to racing cars to human tissue.  

We are looking to increase the capabilities of these scanners by integrating new equipment.  We have 2 different complementary detectors that we want to integrate, a DECTRIS Hybrid photon counting detector which allows for ‘colour X-ray’ scanning, and a high-resolution CMOS detector which will allow very high-speed high-resolution scans to be performed. 

We are also looking to integrate new temperature control systems, and tensile testing rigs into the scanners.   These new capabilities need to be integrated into the control systems and the post-scan data handling routines.  

This PhD will be developing new ways to manage and process this data deluge, as well as ways to share the data with the wider research community. 

We are looking for someone with programming experience who would also like to work with CAD and electronics to achieve integration of the different systems. 

The PhD is not expected to integrate all the equipment we have available and will be tailored to suit the candidate.