Postdoctoral research in ultrafast cardiac ultrasound imaging
(ref. BAP-2025-508)
Laatst aangepast: 08/08/25
Laatst aangepast: 08/08/25
About the supervising lab and the university:
The research will be conducted at the Lab of Cardiovascular Imaging & Dynamics which is part of the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences (https://gbiomed.kuleuven.be/english/research/50000635) of the University of Leuven (www.kuleuven.be). It is embedded within the Medical Imaging Research Center (MIRC; https://mirc.uzleuven.be/MedicalImagingCenter), a multi-disciplinary research institute with approximately 100 researchers working on fundamental and translational research in the area of medical imaging and image processing. The MIRC is located on the campus of the university hospital Gasthuisberg (www.uzleuven.be) where researchers and clinicians work in close cooperation.
About the research program providing the framework for the postdoc position:
Valves play a vital role in supporting cardiac function by ensuring the efficient blood circulation and oxygenation of our body. More than 2% of the population suffer from the improper closure of one or several valves, leading to regurgitation of part of the pumped blood. Valve regurgitation can severely and silently compromise cardiac efficiency, leading to heart failure and other cardiovascular complications. While transthoracic Doppler echocardiography is the front-line modality to assess regurgitation severity, the reliability of the extracted qualitative or semi-quantitative parameters is widely questioned. As a consequence, the management of patients suffering from valve regurgitation is currently far from optimal.
The SQUARE project (“Super-resolved quantification assessment of valvular regurgitation using echocardiography”) channels recent advances in echography to develop a new method for the accurate quantification of valve regurgitation, by improving the spatiotemporal resolution of intracardiac 3D blood flow images by several orders of magnitude. This method will improve both the feasibility and accuracy of regurgitation quantification compared to the current clinical practice. The SQUARE-project is a joint collaboration between the Cardiovascular Imaging & Dynamics laboratory (KU Leuven, located within university hospital Gasthuisberg, Belgium), the Microelectronics System Design Lab (University of Florence, Italy) and the Biophysical Models for Medical Applications lab (Ghent University, Belgium). The SQUARE multidisciplinary consortium integrates expertise in ultrasound image acquisition and processing, computational fluid dynamics, and the clinical management of cardiac diseases. We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher to coordinate and collaborate with four PhD students (3 engineers/physicists, 1 medical) and three post-doctoral researchers, fostering collaboration within a dynamic research team.
The research will be conducted at the Lab of Cardiovascular Imaging & Dynamics which is part of the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences (https://gbiomed.kuleuven.be/english/research/50000635) of the University of Leuven (www.kuleuven.be). It is embedded within the Medical Imaging Research Center (MIRC; https://mirc.uzleuven.be/MedicalImagingCenter), a multi-disciplinary research institute with approximately 100 researchers working on fundamental and translational research in the area of medical imaging and image processing. The MIRC is located on the campus of the university hospital Gasthuisberg (www.uzleuven.be) where researchers and clinicians work in close cooperation.
About the research program providing the framework for the postdoc position:
Valves play a vital role in supporting cardiac function by ensuring the efficient blood circulation and oxygenation of our body. More than 2% of the population suffer from the improper closure of one or several valves, leading to regurgitation of part of the pumped blood. Valve regurgitation can severely and silently compromise cardiac efficiency, leading to heart failure and other cardiovascular complications. While transthoracic Doppler echocardiography is the front-line modality to assess regurgitation severity, the reliability of the extracted qualitative or semi-quantitative parameters is widely questioned. As a consequence, the management of patients suffering from valve regurgitation is currently far from optimal.
The SQUARE project (“Super-resolved quantification assessment of valvular regurgitation using echocardiography”) channels recent advances in echography to develop a new method for the accurate quantification of valve regurgitation, by improving the spatiotemporal resolution of intracardiac 3D blood flow images by several orders of magnitude. This method will improve both the feasibility and accuracy of regurgitation quantification compared to the current clinical practice. The SQUARE-project is a joint collaboration between the Cardiovascular Imaging & Dynamics laboratory (KU Leuven, located within university hospital Gasthuisberg, Belgium), the Microelectronics System Design Lab (University of Florence, Italy) and the Biophysical Models for Medical Applications lab (Ghent University, Belgium). The SQUARE multidisciplinary consortium integrates expertise in ultrasound image acquisition and processing, computational fluid dynamics, and the clinical management of cardiac diseases. We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher to coordinate and collaborate with four PhD students (3 engineers/physicists, 1 medical) and three post-doctoral researchers, fostering collaboration within a dynamic research team.
Responsibilities
This postdoctoral position includes research on the development, implementation, and testing (in silico, in vitro and in vivo) of volumetric ultrafast ultrasound sequences for echocardiography, together with associated image processing algorithms for motion compensation and mitral regurgitation quantification. The postdoctoral researcher will coordinate and closely collaborate with the different PhD students to integrate the multidisciplinary aspects of the project (design of imaging sequences, postprocessing techniques, computational fluid dynamics, clinical validation). In addition, the postdoctoral research will have the opportunity to develop a valorization strategy in order to facilitate the transfer of the developed technologies to the market.
Profile
You hold a PhD in physics or engineering (medical ultrasound is a strong plus)
You are familiar with ultrasound imaging and its applications
You are a team player and communicate well
You have experience in project coordination
You have good programming skills in Matlab
You have proven your proficiency in English language equivalent to B2 level
You are enthusiastic and result oriented
You are familiar with ultrasound imaging and its applications
You are a team player and communicate well
You have experience in project coordination
You have good programming skills in Matlab
You have proven your proficiency in English language equivalent to B2 level
You are enthusiastic and result oriented
Offer
We offer a postdoctoral position initially for 1 year, with the possibility of extending, at market conform wages in a large, multidisciplinary research center in the heart of Europe, equipped with state of the art research infrastructure. The position is available from November 1st.
Interested?
Submit documents such as motivation letter, your CV, and (optional) recommendation letters. Also include transcripts of your Ba and Ms diploma's containing information on the education program and evaluation. For more information, please contact Prof. Jan D’hooge ([email protected]) or Dr. Sophie Heymans ([email protected])
You can apply for this job no later than September 29, 2025 via the online application tool
KU Leuven strives for an inclusive, respectful and socially safe environment. We embrace diversity among individuals and groups as an asset. Open dialogue and differences in perspective are essential for an ambitious research and educational environment. In our commitment to equal opportunity, we recognize the consequences of historical inequalities. We do not accept any form of discrimination based on, but not limited to, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, ethnic or national background, skin colour, religious and philosophical diversity, neurodivergence, employment disability, health, or socioeconomic status. For questions about accessibility or support offered, we are happy to assist you at this email address.
Heb je een vraag over de online sollicitatieprocedure? Raadpleeg onze veelgestelde vragen of stuur een e-mail naar [email protected]
av_timer
Tewerkstellingspercentage: Voltijds
location_city
Locatie: Leuven
timer
Solliciteren tot en met:29/09/2025 23:59 CET
bookmarks
Tags: Cardiovasculaire wetenschappen, Bio-ingenieurswetenschappen
Report job