Internship: Optical skin Modelling

We are a young MedTech start-up based in Yes!Delft. We are looking for a student who is interested in investigating and modelling the photonic transport within the skin. The work will contribute to enhancing the biomedical applicability and quality of our novel biosensor. The sensor utilizes optical techniques such as DLS and has a configuration comparable to the well-known photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor, and is configured to measure cardiac (microcirculatory) flow in a non-invasive manner.

The student will be tasked with reading relevant literature and then developing mathematical and computational models. The project covers multiple disciplines:

• The project is highly computational, so an affinity for numerical modelling is a strong plus, for example in Python.
• Because the project is optical and mathematics-heavy in nature, a proper understanding of light and partial differential equations is required.
• Because the project focuses on modelling a biological medium, knowledge of biology is a plus.

The multidisciplinary aspect makes it a challenging project; however, part of the required background knowledge can be learned during the first part of the internship.

Background

In PPG technology, an LED and a photodiode are used to measure changes in blood volume. These volume changes are the direct result of the heartbeat and the saturation level of the patient. Through these changes, the heart rate of the patient can be measured. In our newly designed sensor, we optimize this process by replacing some of the hardware, which enables the extraction of additional vascular biomarkers and the removal of motion artifacts usually plaguing PPG measurements, thus improving the accuracy of heart-rate measurements. The approach is both novel and supported by research from TU Delft.

What we offer

• A young and professional, yet fun, team
• Lots of freedom to implement your ideas
• Opportunity to be hired after the internship or after your study

What we ask

• A university BSc/MSc degree in Applied Physics, Nanobiology, Computational Sciences, or a related field
• Experience in data processing languages such as Python
• Affinity in Python or other languages such as R, and/or imaging analysis software is a strong plus
• An interest in biophysics and healthcare is recommended
• Proactive team player with good communication skills