Student project: Dynamic Optical Simulation of Skin Perfusion During Hemorrhagic Shock

*Important for non-EU students: You'll need to be registered at a Dutch university to meet immigration requirements.

Develop and improve a dynamic optical simulation of light interaction with perfused human skin tissue during the progression of hemorrhagic shock, as part of this project’s[A(1.1][JH1.2] systemic physiology-to-shock-severity simulation framework.

What you will do

Hemorrhagic shock causes rapid, time-dependent changes in systemic circulation and local tissue perfusion. These changes influence how light is absorbed and scattered by skin, particularly through variations in blood volume, oxygenation, flow, and vessel state. This project develops a simulation framework that links systemic physiology to shock severity and to measurable optical signals. A dynamic optical simulation is an essential part of this framework because it connects the evolving physiological state to what an optical sensor may observe at the skin surface.

The current implementation uses Monte Carlo light-transport simulations. During this internship, you will evaluate, improve, and extend this implementation so that it can represent the dynamic interaction of light with human skin tissue containing flowing blood during the development of hemorrhagic shock. The primary implementation language is Python. You may also investigate and propose a better computational approach, provided that it can be validated and integrated into the current simulation framework.

Your activities may include:

• Performing a focused literature review on optical properties of skin and blood, tissue perfusion, and dynamic light-tissue interaction during changing hemodynamic conditions.
• Understanding the existing simulation architecture, interfaces, data structures, and physiological inputs.
• Evaluating the current Monte Carlo implementation with respect to physical assumptions, numerical accuracy, runtime, reproducibility, and maintainability.
• Improving the representation of layered skin tissue, blood volume, oxygenation, vessel geometry or distribution, blood flow, and time-dependent physiological changes.
• Developing a Python implementation that couples dynamic physiological states to simulated optical observables such as reflectance, absorption, or wavelength-dependent signals.
• Exploring acceleration or alternative modeling strategies, for example variance reduction, surrogate models, GPU-enabled approaches, or deterministic methods, when these offer a clear benefit.
• Designing verification and validation tests using analytical limits, published data, existing Monte Carlo results, or controlled simulation cases.
• Profiling and optimizing computational performance while maintaining traceability of assumptions and results.
• Integrating the resulting software into the current systemic physiology-to-shock-severity framework with clear interfaces, documentation, and automated tests.
• Presenting progress and results in regular reviews and delivering a final report, documented code, and a demonstrator.

The work will be organized using a scrum-like approach. Together with the supervisors, you will maintain a prioritized backlog, work in approximately two-week iterations, demonstrate progress, and use feedback to refine the model and implementation.

What we do for you

• You will work on a technically and clinically relevant challenge at the intersection of computational optics, physiology, biomedical sensing, and scientific software development.
• You will receive supervision from Jeroen Hamers and support from technical and biomedical experts within OnePlanet and the wider imec community.
• You will gain hands-on experience with Monte Carlo light transport, dynamic physiological modeling, numerical methods, Python software engineering, validation, and performance optimization.
• You will have freedom to challenge the current solution and investigate a better method, provided that it is scientifically justified and compatible with the existing framework.
• You will contribute to this project, where systemic physiological changes are connected to shock severity and measurable optical phenomena.
• You will work with research-grade models and have opportunities to exchange knowledge with experts, broaden your professional network, and present your results to stakeholders.
• At OnePlanet and imec, we value diversity and provide equal opportunities to internship candidates with different backgrounds.
  
  

Who you are

• MSc student in biomedical engineering, optical physics, computer science, applied mathematics, AI, or a related field.
• Strong Python programming skills and experience with scientific computing libraries such as NumPy and SciPy.
• Interest in computational optics, light transport, biomedical sensing, physiology, or hemodynamics.
• Comfortable with mathematical modeling, numerical methods, and interpreting scientific literature.
• Able to translate physical and physiological assumptions into clear, testable, and maintainable software.
• Organized, analytical, communicative, and able to work independently while actively seeking feedback.
• Experience with Monte Carlo simulation, GPU computing, software testing, version control, or optimization is a plus.
• Knowledge of tissue optics, skin physiology, blood flow, or hemorrhagic shock is a plus, but not required.
   

Interested

Does this position sound like an interesting next step in your career at imec? Don’t hesitate to submit your application by clicking on ‘APPLY’.
Should you have more questions about the job, you can contact jobs@imec.nl.