The CIBM EPFL MRI section develops next-generation ultra-low-field MRI systems and methods, with a focus on compact, accessible and hardware-oriented MRI. Student projects offer hands-on work on permanent magnet design, gradient coils, RF coils, signal detection and pulse sequence development, combining MRI physics, engineering and computational methods.
Projects suitable for semester students (8h/week)
Magnetic Resonance Imaging is one of the most powerful diagnostic tools in modern medicine, yet access to it remains highly unequal across the world. In many regions, a large share of the global population still has limited or no access to MRI due to the high cost, infrastructure requirements, and maintenance complexity of conventional high-field systems. Ultra-low-field MRI offers a promising alternative by dramatically reducing system cost, size, and operational demands while maintaining clinically useful imaging capability for selected applications. At the core of this approach is the development of compact, efficient magnet systems, such as Halbach arrays, which can generate strong, well-shaped magnetic fields without the need for bulky and expensive superconducting hardware. In our lab, we are working on building and optimizing such a Halbach magnet system as a key step toward making ultra-low-field MRI more practical and accessible.
Project goals:
- Assist in the design, assembly, and alignment of a Halbach magnet array optimized for ultra-low-field MRI applications, with emphasis on field homogeneity and mechanical precision.
- Participate in magnetic field characterization and basic optimization, including measurements, data analysis, and iterative improvement of the magnet configuration.
What you will learn:
- Hands-on experience with magnet design and construction, including working with permanent magnet assemblies and precision mechanical alignment techniques.
- Practical skills in magnetic field measurement and characterization, including use of field probes and data acquisition systems.
- Introduction to ultra-low-field MRI principles and how hardware design impacts imaging performance.
- Experience in experimental problem-solving, data analysis, and iterative engineering optimization in a research environment.
Requirements:
- Strong motivation to work on experimental physics, medical imaging, or applied engineering projects with real-world impact.
- Solid foundation in physics, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related discipline.
- Hands-on mindset with willingness to work in a lab environment, including assembling hardware and performing measurements.
- Curiosity, reliability, and ability to work independently while also collaborating effectively within a small research team.
- Good command of English
Supervisors: Dr. Daniel Wenz (CIBM), Prof. Dimitrios Karampinos (MRISM)
Contact details for more information: [email protected]
Magnetic Resonance Imaging is one of the most powerful diagnostic tools in modern medicine, yet access to it remains highly unequal across the world. In many regions, a large share of the global population still has limited or no access to MRI due to the high cost, infrastructure requirements, and maintenance complexity of conventional high-field systems. Ultra-low-field MRI offers a promising alternative by dramatically reducing system cost, size, and operational demands while maintaining clinically useful imaging capability for selected applications. A key enabling component of any MRI system is the gradient coil system, which is responsible for spatial encoding of the signal and ultimately determines image quality and resolution. In ultra-low-field MRI, gradient coil design becomes especially critical due to tight constraints on power efficiency, geometry, and integration with compact magnet systems.
Project goals:
- Assist in the design, construction, and assembly of gradient coil structures optimized for ultra-low-field MRI, with emphasis on linearity, efficiency, and compact integration.
- Participate in experimental characterization and optimization of gradient performance, including field mapping, data analysis, and iterative design improvements.
What you will learn:
- Hands-on experience with electromagnetic coil design and construction, including winding techniques and practical engineering constraints.
- Practical skills in magnetic field measurement, gradient field mapping, and use of laboratory instrumentation and data acquisition systems.
- Introduction to MRI physics with a focus on spatial encoding and the role of gradient systems in image formation.
- Experience in experimental research, data analysis, and iterative hardware optimization.
Requirements:
- Strong motivation to work on experimental physics, medical imaging, or applied electromagnetics projects.
- Background in physics, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related field.
- Hands-on mindset and willingness to work in a laboratory environment, including coil fabrication and measurement tasks.
- Curiosity, reliability, and ability to work both independently and as part of a small research team.
- Good command of English
Supervisors: Dr. Daniel Wenz (CIBM), Prof. Dimitrios Karampinos (MRISM)
Contact details for more information: [email protected]
Magnetic Resonance Imaging is one of the most powerful diagnostic tools in modern medicine, yet access to it remains highly unequal across the world. In many regions, a large share of the global population still has limited or no access to MRI due to the high cost, infrastructure requirements, and maintenance complexity of conventional high-field systems. Ultra-low-field MRI offers a promising alternative by dramatically reducing system cost, size, and operational demands while maintaining clinically useful imaging capability for selected applications. A key component of any MRI system is the radio frequency (RF) coil, which is responsible for transmitting excitation pulses and detecting the weak magnetic resonance signals from the subject. The design of efficient and sensitive RF coils is therefore critical for achieving high-quality imaging, particularly in ultra-low-field MRI where signal levels are inherently low.
Project goals:
- Assist in the design, construction, and tuning of RF coils optimized for signal transmission and reception in ultra-low-field MRI systems.`
- Participate in experimental characterization and performance evaluation of RF coils, including impedance matching, sensitivity measurements, and iterative design improvements.
What you will learn:
- Hands-on experience with RF coil design, construction, tuning, and matching techniques.
- Practical skills in RF measurements using laboratory instrumentation such as network analyzers and data acquisition systems.
- Introduction to MRI physics with a focus on signal excitation, detection, and the role of RF hardware in image quality.
- Experience in experimental research, data analysis, and iterative hardware optimization.
Requirements:
- Strong motivation to work on experimental physics, medical imaging, electronics, or RF engineering projects.
- Background in physics, electrical engineering, biomedical engineering, or a related field.
- Hands-on mindset and willingness to work in a laboratory environment involving electronic hardware and measurements.
- Curiosity, reliability, and ability to work both independently and as part of a small research team.
- Good command of English
Supervisors: Dr. Daniel Wenz (CIBM), Prof. Dimitrios Karampinos (MRISM)
Contact details for more information: [email protected]
Magnetic Resonance Imaging is one of the most powerful diagnostic tools in modern medicine, yet access to it remains highly unequal across the world. In many regions, a large share of the global population still has limited or no access to MRI due to the high cost, infrastructure requirements, and maintenance complexity of conventional high-field systems. Ultra-low-field MRI offers a promising alternative by dramatically reducing system cost, size, and operational demands while maintaining clinically useful imaging capability for selected applications. The intrinsically lower thermal polarisation at ultra-low-field is a limitation for lower gyromagnetic ratio nuclei, which may otherwise be of biomedical interest ( e.g., 13C). Hyperpolarisation is a way to circumvent these limitations, but requires adapted manipulations of the nuclear spins.
Modelling the signal evolution will allow to explore in silico a variety of experimental conditions and acquisition strategies to guide further developments.
The project will combine the Bloch-McConnell description of the MR signal evolution in a flexible simulator within the KomaMRI framework, test potential experimental parameters, and eventually confront experimental data.
Project goals:
- Implement numerical phantoms and MRI sequences in the existing version of the simulator
- Improve simulator characteristics based on the first in silico evaluations
- Optimise acquisition strategy at Ultra-low-field
What you will learn:
- Advanced understanding of Bloch equations and MR signal evolution
- Basic MRI sequences, event blocks and K-space sampling
- Non-Proton MRI specificities
Requirements:
- Strong motivation to work on experimental physics and medical imaging.
- Background in physics, electrical engineering, biomedical engineering, or a related field.
- Proven programming skills, interest and independence in working with new language and programming environment ( i.e. Julia)
- Curiosity, reliability, and ability to work both independently and as part of a small research team.
Supervisors: Dr Jean-Noël Hyacinthe, Prof. Dimitrios Karampinos
Contact details for more information: [email protected]