The recent edition of „Heureka“, a science magazine of Austrian newspaper „Falter“, is featuring CD Lab member Simon Hackl. These weekly editions portrait scientists of various fields and present their work to the general public. Simon Hackl gave insights on ultrasound focusing methods, his research topic. He additionally shared operational challenges and possible improvements for next generation devices. We are pleased that our aspiration of advancing medical ultrasound is getting public attention, and wish him all the best in his endeavor.

Link (German)

In the radiant February of 2024, a spirited team from our lab, including S. Biberger, M. Figl, J. Hummel, C. Songsaeng, and L. Zalka, ventured to San Diego to partake in the esteemed SPIE Medical Imaging conference. It was a gathering where minds met, ideas flowed, and innovation was at the forefront. Our PhD students showcased their cutting-edge research through posters, engaging with like-minded professionals and scholars.

Posters presented by our team:

• Biberger Simon, Reducing artifacts in motion-based temporal interpolations of power Doppler ultrasound
• Songsaeng Chatsuda, Determination of a detectability index for image quality evaluation using a PVA-microcapsules phantom
• Zalka Lukas, Adaptive design of ultrasound phantoms using additive manufacturing

Embracing the California sun, the conference was not only an academic rendezvous but also an opportunity to bond, rejuvenate, and explore the vibrant city and its welcoming beaches. Our moments together in the sun are a testament to the blend of professional growth and personal enjoyment.

In the following video, some of the CD Lab members present the equipment we use at our lab.

(We thank Kemal Raik for shooting and editing the video)

Thursday, October 5, 15:30
SP 416-2
RICAM, Altenberger Str. 69, 4040 Linz

Optical imaging uses visible or near-infrared light to interrogate internal properties of biological tissues based on endogenous (for example oxygenated and deoxygenated haemoglobin) or exogenous (contrast agents) contrast. Several optical imaging modalities have been developed, and these techniques are of great interest due to the special contrast that rises from the physiological nature of light absorbing molecules. One example of tomographic imaging techniques based on light is diffuse optical tomography. In diffuse optical tomography, distributions of optical parameters inside an imaged target are estimated from light transport measurements made on its boundary. This is a highly ill-posed inverse problem, and the technique can be used to provide images with a unique contrast. However, it suffers from a low resolution due to the diffuse behaviour of light in biological tissues. Utilising so-called coupled physics imaging can overcome the limitations of diffuse imaging modalities. Perhaps the most developed of these coupled techniques is photoacoustic imaging, that combines the contrast of light with the resolution of ultrasound utilising the photoacoustic effect. In this talk, I will discuss tomography using light and ultrasound with the focus on modelling and inverse problems. Principles of diffuse optical tomography and photoacoustic tomography together with the applications are reviewed. Furthermore, problem of quantitative tomography is discussed.

Hello and a warm welcome everyone. I‘m Simon Hackl and I joined the Christian Doppler Laboratory «MaMSi» as a PhD student in February 2023. Previously, I did my Bachelor in Technical Mathematics and Master studies in Mathematics for Natural Sciences, both at the Johannes Kepler University in Linz.

As part of my work, I hope to adapt ultrasound focussing algorithms to multilayered media. These techniques could be a valuable part for improving the image quality of medical ultrasound.

My research routine includes obtaining a good understanding of the underlying physics and developing a precise mathematical model that is yet simple enough to enable real-time imaging. Also, possible results need to be tested, both via numerical simulations and real-world experiments. My education prepared me for all of these tasks, as I took additional physics classes and lab exercises alongside my math bachelor.

Through my research I hope to contribute a little bit to the progress of our society and to help improving the life of everyone. I am grateful to have wonderful colleagues and enjoy going to work everyday. There are a lot more new and exciting challenges out there that are just waiting to be solved.

Hello everyone, my name is Christina and I'm very thankful to be part of the CD Laboratory for Mathematical Modelling and Simulation of Next Generation Ultrasound De­vices. I completed my diploma studies in human medicine at the Medical University of Vienna in July 2022. Thereafter, in August 2022, I started my PhD under supervision of Julia Binder at the Medical University of Vienna within this project. We, at the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the Medical University of Vienna, are focused on ultrasound image quality improvement in the clinical routine in particular in fetal ultrasound.

From an early stage in my academic journey, I was drawn to the field of fetal medicine. During the second year of my diploma studies in medicine I had the opportunity to shadow my current supervisor, Julia Binder, at the fetal medicine unit. The images of little humans not yet born, captured by ultrasound, impressed me and demonstrated the immense impact of high-quality ultrasound images on people's lives. For parents-to-be, having an empathetic and experienced sonographer by their side is of great importance. Early and accurate ultrasound diagnoses of various fetal conditions can significantly impact patient care and outcome of countless babies. Today, I am proud to be a part of this incredible project, which is focused on improving the quality of ultrasound imaging, overcoming today's challenges in ultrasound diagnosis, and positively transforming the lives of many in the future.

Hello everyone, my name is Lukas and I am a part of the MaMSi research group since September 2022. I am a PhD student at the Medical University in the Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering under the supervision of Michael Figl. I started my scientific career with a Bachelor's degree in Biomedical Engineering and continued with the Master's program in Health and Rehabilitation Engineering at the University of Applied Science. My interest in experiments and measurements of ultrasound began in the course of my master's thesis, which consisted of creating a simulation environment for ultrasound pressure fields and bioheat transfers as well as verifying the results of the simulations with measurements in the laboratory, and therefore laid the perfect foundation for my task in the Mamsi project, which is to test the newly developed mathematical models and beamforms of my colleagues in the laboratory and then implement them in a programmable ultrasound device. That’s why, the decision to become part of this project was very easy for me and I am looking forward to working together with my colleagues on this challenge and overcoming the hurdles together.

Kind regards
Lukas ; )

Hi, I am Nhi. Since February 2022, I have begun my academic career with a predoc position in the Christian Doppler Laboratory for Mathematical Modelling and Simulation of Next Generation Ultrasound Devices (or MaMSi for short). I am now a Ph.D. student at the Faculty of Mathematics, University of Vienna, under the supervision of Professor Otmar Scherzer. I graduated from the University of Vienna with a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Mathematics with a specialization in Analysis and Applied Mathematics and Scientific Computing.

Ever since my Bachelor years, I already worked on mathematical signal and image processing. As I have an endless passion for math and photography, I’m always amazed at how we would apply math in everyday photography using an enormous variety of interesting image processing techniques. The more I learn about it, the more I would point out that math is not as dry as a lot of people used to perceive. There is always a way to combine personal interests and professional careers.

With the belief that mathematics not only is useful for my personal hobbies, but also could contribute a lot to society in different ways, I continued to pursue my learning of applied mathematics during my Master’s years.

Throughout my major, I have not only acquired general principles and knowledge about mathematical signal and image processing, but I also became fascinated with its wide range of real-world applications, not only in photography but also in medical imaging, and how we can combine both of them.

Our project on Simulations of Ultrasound Devices piqued my interest and desire to gain more insights into the mathematical methods in medical imaging. I am thrilled and thankful to be a member of our CD-Laboratory, working with friendly and supportive colleagues and supervisors from whom I have learned much, and they drive me to make progress every day. They encourage me to keep working on what I love and continue to develop my skills and knowledge in my research field.

Like everything in life, there will always be ups and downs. Still, after all, as a researcher, it is always so enjoyable and satisfying to overcome new and exciting scientific challenges, and I believe there will definitely be countless of them throughout our MaMSi project ;)

My name is Huidong Yang. Since July 2022, I have been working as a postdoc under the supervision of Otmar Scherzer at the University of Vienna and the CD Lab for Mathematical Modelling and Simulation of Next Generation Ultrasound Devices (MaMSi). Before I became a member of the CD Lab, I was a postdoctoral researcher working on several topics in scientific computing at universities and institutes in Linz, Graz, and Klosterneuburg. Prior to this, I got my academic degrees from universities in China, Sweden and Austria.

In general, I am very interested in studying novel numerical methods for solving scientific problems arising from mathematical modelling of real life applications. I feel very lucky to be a member of the CD Lab, where I have the opportunity to learn how to identify interfaces and reconstruct sound speed in inhomogeneous media from measured data. For me, this is a very challenging and exciting topic among others within this big project. I really appreciate the regular meetings with Otmar and with the other CD Lab colleagues. Every valuable discussion in this topic motivates me to pose new scientific questions and look for answers to them. I am looking forward to making new progress in this topic each day. Additionally, I really like the friendly environment in the group, where I receive a lot of help and feedback from the other members.

Best regards,
Huidong Yang

The Christian Doppler Laboratory «MaMSi», as well as some members of the Computational Science Center (and friends!), took part in the Vienna Nightrun this year. Everybody completed the 5-kilometre run with the fastest time being 21:50 minutes. Nobody was injured, and we ended the night with a well-deserved meal!

The CD laboratory «MaMSi» and Otmar Scherzer are featured in an article in the newspaper «DerStandard» (German).

My name is Noemi and I joined the MaMSi research group as a PhD in January 2022. I received my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in mathematics at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany. During my studies, I focused on numerics, mathematical modelling, and the regularization of inverse problems. A course in mathematical modelling, in which we studied the inverse problem of electrical impedance tomography, led me into the world of medical imaging. Following this, I investigated and implemented a realistic electrode model in electrical impedance tomography in my Master’s thesis.

After I finished my studies, I quickly realized that I enjoy active research and the rewarding experience of deeply delving into a topic. Further, I am thrilled to engage in an aspect of science that has never been explored before and to go beyond current research, which requires creativity and the trust to find answers.

In ultrasound tomography, the emitted ultrasonic wave is scattered due to different tissue structures inside the body. This phenomenon can be used for imaging by detecting the scattered wave and reconstructing the scattering properties inside the body from these measured data. From a mathematical point of view, this leads to an inverse problem and diffraction tomography provides an essential analytic solution. However, conventional diffraction tomography considers only the insonification by plane waves. In modern ultrasound imaging, focused beams are emitted by so-called beamforming processes to achieve good image resolution in the far field. This motivates me to make diffraction tomography applicable to this setup. Therefore, my research aims to establish an efficient and application-oriented reconstruction algorithm in diffraction tomography when focused incident waves are emitted.

Being a member of this laboratory, I enjoy seeing how advanced mathematical models can directly impact real-world problems. I am grateful for the opportunity to work interdisciplinary with many colleagues and supervisors in a supportive and friendly atmosphere that enables learning about different aspects of scientific work. An important factor of my daily work is our excellent espresso machine in the kitchen equipped with coffee beans from a small roastery around the corner. This coffee gives me energy and always creates fun coffee breaks with colleagues 😊.

Best regards,
Noemi Naujoks

Hello everyone, my name is Simon and since January 2022 I am working at the University of Vienna and the Christian Doppler Laboratory for Mathematical Modeling and Simulation of Next Generation Ultrasound Devices (MaMSi) as a PhD student under the supervision of Otmar Scherzer.

My main area of interest and why I became a PhD student

Already during my bachelor studies in Passau, Germany, I discovered my love for mathematical image processing. It started during a position as a student assistant and continued with an internship and a master thesis abroad, where I was able to further explore this fascination. Problems that pique my curiosity the most always involve practical applications, be it denoising massive-scale industrial computed tomography data (Passau), segmenting and classifying fish in a deep-sea fish farm (Singapore), or computing curvatures of high-resolution cell membranes (Cambridge).

I want to constantly expand my knowledge, enjoy technical discussions, solve new problems, and hopefully contribute a tiny part to the force that is slowly turning the wheel of science and innovation. Therefore, pursuing a doctoral degree was the next step towards this goal.

My current doctoral studies

I am involved in improving the visual quality of image sequences acquired by medical Power Doppler ultrasound. This mainly involves two things: 1) spatial filtering and 2) temporal interpolation. Right now, I am focusing on temporal interpolation, for which we use methods to estimate the motion between two images to more accurately approximate the intermediate images. To ensure that no strange effects or artifacts distort the results, we have constructed a control instance to detect areas of degraded visual quality and repair them.

These studies are made possible by a supportive environment at the University of Vienna, the Medical University of Vienna, and General Electric Healthcare, as well as an excellent work-life balance in Vienna. Of course, it's also a lot of fun to live in the city that constantly performs best in the Global Liveability Index, and from my apartment I can quickly get to great parks, the Danube River, and the city center. This is particularly nice, as I often go for a run, play beachvolleyball or read outside in my spare time.

I look forward to an exciting future, solving interesting problems, and if you would like to learn more about my work, please feel free to contact me.

Kind regards
Simon Biberger

The CD laboratory «MaMSi» is featured in the Science Magazine of the University of Vienna.

To celebrate the new Christian Doppler laboratory «MaMSi» for mathematical modelling and simulations of the next generation of ultrasound devices, an opening ceremony was held on the 14th of March 2022 in the University of Vienna's Sky Lounge at the Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1.

We are honoured to have had Heinz Engl, Rector of the University of Vienna, Margarete Schramböck, Federal Minister for Digital, Business and Enterprise, Martin Gerzabek, President of the Christian Doppler Research Association, Michaela Fritz, Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation, and Radu Ioan Bot, Dean of the University of Vienna's Faculty of Mathematics, as special guests for this special occasion.

The new CD lab conducts application-oriented foundational research as a basis for new methods of ultrasound imaging for prenatal diagnostics. In this context, an interdisciplinary team of mathematicians, physicists and physicians work together to investigate new mathematical models for ultrasound imaging, numerically simulate their potential, implement them on prototypes and subsequently evaluate them from a medical point of view.

As part of this event Otmar Scherzer, head of the new CD lab, Johann Hummel of the Medical University of Vienna, who represented the module head Michael Figl, and Martin Mienkina, Engineering Manager of Advanced Technology at the industry partner GE-Healthcare, gave introductory research talks.

Press: (german)

• Die Presse
• Austrian Press Agency
• Oberösterreichische Nachrichten
• University of Vienna, Media Portal

The Christian Doppler laboratory for «Mathematical Modelling and Simulation of Next-Generation Medical Ultrasound-Devices» is granted by the Christian Doppler Forschungsgesellschaft. Starting on Janurary 1, 2022, this CD-Laboratory is concerned with developing new methods for prenatal ultrasound diagnostics. The long term goal is improving diagnoses for, at present, challenging to image patients.

Head: Otmar Scherzer, University of Vienna

Modul leader: Michael Figl, Medical University of Vienna

External Research Leader: Ronny Ramlau, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austrian Academy of Sciences

Cooperation Partner: GE Healthcare

On this website we will inform you about news, achievements and publications related to the CD Lab.