King's College London, University of London

What you'll study

The project work focuses on:

• Developing deep learning methods to generate synthetic histology meshes.
• Building MR signal dictionaries informed by those synthetic histologies for multi‑parametric MRI.
• Applying the simulation framework to preclinical and clinical MRI data to derive histologically‑meaningful descriptors of liver micrometastases.
• Validating MRI‑derived estimates by comparison with histological ground truth to produce biomarkers that outperform traditional models.

Entry requirements

Applicants should hold a Bachelor's degree with 2:1 honours in Applied Mathematics/Mathematics, Biochemistry, Biology, Biomedical Engineering or another engineering‑related discipline, Biomedical Sciences, Chemistry, Computer Science, Medicine or Physics. A 2:2 may be considered only if the applicant also holds a Master’s degree with Merit or above. English language requirements apply (see Band D). Applications must be submitted via the King’s Apply system for the Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Science Research MPhil/PhD (Full-time) programme and include a CV (PDF), a 500‑word personal statement, and two references (at least one academic). When applying for this studentship choose funding Option 5 and enter the award code ERC-AI. References cannot be from prospective supervisors.

Career prospects

Graduates from this project can expect skills and experience relevant to translational imaging research, computational pathology, and precision oncology. Career paths include academic research positions in biomedical engineering or imaging sciences, roles in medical imaging and AI within industry, and translational/clinical research roles that bridge imaging and histopathology for early metastasis detection.

Scholarships & funding angle (general)

The studentship is funded for three years and provides a tax‑free stipend of £26,881 per year plus a Research Training Support Grant for consumables and conference attendance. Tuition fees are not covered by the award; the student is expected to self‑fund tuition for three years (King’s tuition fee levels for 2026/27 are stated as guidance). Costs such as student visas and the International Healthcare Surcharge are the applicant’s responsibility. Applicants must select the correct funding option and enter the code ERC-AI when applying to be considered for this award.