Intelligent Systems for Medicine Lab.

Improving clinical outcomes through technology

Projects available: PhD, MSc, Honours

Attractive scholarships available for Australian residents

ISML has just been awarded substantial funds for collaboration with Harvard Medical School: National Institute of Health (USA) Grant and Australian Research Council Linkage International Grant. ALL PhD CANDIDATES WHO APPLY BY 31 OCTOBER 2006 AND ENROL IN 2007 WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO TRAVEL TO BOSTON AND WORK AT HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL RESEARCH LABS. Top-up scholarships for excellent applicants are also available.

$3000 ad-hoc scholarship is available for an exceptional student who will take up a Final Year project "Computer simulation of brain deformation for neuroimage registration". This work is in collaboration with Harvard Medical School and involves travel to Boston

$3000 ad-hoc scholarship is available for an exceptional student who will take up a Final Year project "Automated generation of patient-specific computational models from radiological images". This work is in collaboration with Harvard Medical School

Biomechanics for computer-integrated surgery:
1. Modelling and computer simulation of brain shift
2. Modelling and computer simulation of the effects of brain tumour growth
3. Non-linear registration of electronic brain atlases and magnetic
resonance brain images
4. Modelling and computer simulation of brain swelling
5. Modelling and computer simulation of hydrocephalus
6. Modelling and computer simulation of needle insertion
7. Modelling of cartilage mechanical properties based on microstructure
visualised using 3D confocal microscopy
8. Using cellular automata to model biological fluid flow

Numerical methods:
9. Finite element algorithms for surgical simulation
10. Mesh-free algorithms for surgical simulation
11. Rapid scientific computations using commodity graphics hardware

Medical robotics:
12. Design, construction and testing of magnetic resonance compatible
surgical robot

Injury biomechanics:
13. Finite Element Analysis for Understanding the Mechanics of Injuries to Pedestrian Lower Extremities in Car-Pedestrian Accidents
1) Develop a finite model for simulation of the responses of human lower extremity in side impacts;
2) Apply the lower extremity model to understand the relationship between the impact location (e.g., near the ankle joint, in the middle of fibula shaft, near the knee joint) and injury type/severity;
3) Apply the lower extremity model to understand the relationship between the parameters of car front (e.g., bumper stiffness, car front shape)) and injury type/severity. Propose guideline for design of pedestrian-friendly car front.
Software: LS-DYNA, PATRAN, ANSYS.
Comment: When building the lower extremity and car front models, meshes developed by previous researchers can be used.

14. Finite Element Model for Simulation of Human Cervical Spine Responses in Low-Speed Acceleration Impacts: Possible Application in Understanding the Mechanics of "Whiplash" Injury
1) Develop a finite model for simulation of the human cervical spine responses in low-speed acceleration impacts;
- Understand the role of muscle activity on the cervical spine responses;
- Determine what parameters exert the strongest effects on the model responses.
2) Apply the cervical spine to evaluate/understand the selected hypotheses of "whiplash" injury.
Software: LS-DYNA, PATRAN, ANSYS
Comment: When building the cervical spine model, meshes developed by the previous researchers can be used.

15. Finite Element Analysis for Understanding the Mechanics of Brain Injuries in Acceleration Impacts
1) Develop a finite element model of the human head that can simulate the brain responses under angular and linear accelerations applied to the head.
2) Apply the head model to understand the role of brain-skull boundary conditions (including bridging veins) on the model responses and prediction of risk of brain injuries.
3) Propose a set of engineering variables (e.g., strains, stresses, acceleration, velocity, energy) that can be used as measures of risk/severity of brain diffuse axonal injury (DAI).
Software: LS-DYNA, PATRAN, ANSYS
Comment: When building the head model, meshes developed by the previous researchers can be used.

Biomechanics of sport:
16. Please, wait - we are working on it.

We are most happy to run student-designed projects.

Copyright The University of Western Australia 2004, Webmaster: Karol Miller, Last modified on 31-August-2006