EPSRC and MRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Biomedical Imaging

英国在开发成像技术和技术方面有着悠久的历史，这些技术使我们能够可视化一系列生物医学现象，从能够可视化单个细胞内的分子到能够在患者体内无创拍照。这方面的例子包括戈弗雷亨斯菲尔德爵士（诺贝尔奖赢家和计算机断层扫描仪的共同发明者）和诺丁汉大学的彼得曼斯菲尔德爵士（诺贝尔奖赢家和磁共振成像的共同发明者）所做的开创性工作。英国两个研究委员会最近的一份报告显示，英国在这一领域仍然拥有世界领先的研究概况，但也显示，英国缺乏训练有素的医学成像专家。这意味着我们的研究机构和行业很难雇佣到合适的合格人才，要么不得不雇佣非英国国民，要么无法承担他们希望的工作。因此，这个博士培训中心的目的是通过将英国两所顶尖的研究密集型大学联系在一起，在这一领域提供严格的培训计划，以满足对更多训练有素的成像科学家的需求。特别是，为了响应我们的行业同事和我们的NHS同事所表达的需求，我们将实施一项博士培训计划，让学生了解医学成像的全部景观（例如，不同类型的成像，从细胞成像到整个人体成像的不同尺度的成像，以及分析所得图像的不同方法）。由于这些学生主要是具有物理科学（物理学、工程学和数学）背景的学生，我们还将为他们提供细胞基础生物学以及医学成像可以改变的疾病范围的培训。在第一年的培训之后，学生将在牛津和诺丁汉的专业研究实验室工作（一些学生在两个机构之间工作）。这两所大学都拥有世界知名的科学家和一流的设施，为学生举办研究项目，最终每个学生都获得了诺丁汉或牛津的博士学位。这些学生可获得的研究和机会范围非常大，这两个机构的研究人员都在医学成像的所有尺度上工作（单细胞到整个人类），以及各种疾病，包括癌症，大脑疾病和心脏疾病。作为主要合作伙伴，我们将与来自行业的同事合作，使我们的学生获得在行业环境中工作的经验，所以他们从事的一些项目是由工业界提出的。这种伙伴关系也将帮助我们培养出训练有素的专家，他们对行业运作方式有欣赏，并了解如何将研究想法商业化，使其成为国家的收入来源。我们相信，通过拥有像这样严格的博士培养计划，我们将确保英国在未来的学术和工业竞争中处于有利地位。我们也相信，将有好处的NHS，因为我们的毕业生将开发成像技术，将完善NHS对待我们的方式，从而节省资金，使我们收到的治疗更相关的我们作为个人。

The United Kingdom has a strong history of having developed imaging techniques and technologies that allow us to visualize a range of biomedical phenomena, from being able to visualise molecules inside individual cells, to being able to take pictures non invasively inside patients. Examples of this include the pioneering work done by Sir Godfrey Hounsfield (Nobel Prize winner and co-inventor of the Computed Tomography scanner), and Sir Peter Mansfield of Nottingham University (Nobel Prize winner and co-inventor of magnetic resonance imaging). A recent report from two of the UK Research Councils showed that the UK still has a world-leading research profile in this area, but also showed that there was a shortage of trained UK individuals who are experts in medical imaging. This means that our research institutions and industries struggle to employ suitably qualified individuals, and either have to employ non-UK nationals or cannot undertake the work they wish to.The aim of this Centre for Doctoral Training is therefore to address the need for more trained imaging scientists by linking together two of the UK's top research-intensive universities to deliver a rigorous training programme in this area. In particular, and in response to the needs expressed both by our industry colleagues and by our NHS colleagues, we will put in place a doctoral training programme that gives students an understanding of the full landscape of medical imaging (e.g. different types of imaging, different scales of imaging from cellular imaging up to whole human imaging, and different ways of analyzing the resulting images). Since these will mostly be students with a background in the physical sciences (physics, engineering and mathematics) we will also provide them with a training in the basic biology of cells, and in the range of diseases in which medical imaging can make a difference.Following a first year of training the students will work in specialist research laboratories in Oxford and Nottingham (with some students working between the two institutions). Both universities have world-renowned scientists and excellent facilities to host research projects for the students, culminating in each student receiving a doctoral degree from either Nottingham or Oxford. The range of research and opportunities available to these students is very large, with researchers in both institutions working at all scales of medical imaging (single cells to whole humans), and on various diseases, including cancer, brain disorders, and heart disorders.As major partners we will work with colleagues from industry so that our students gain experience in working in an industry environment, and so that some of the projects they work on are ones that are proposed by industry. This partnership will also help us produce trained experts who have an appreciation for the way that industry operates, and an understanding of how research ideas can be commercialized so that they become a source of income to the nation.We believe that by having a rigorous doctoral training programme like this we will ensure that the UK is well placed to compete academically and industrially in the future. We also believe that there will be benefits to the NHS, since our graduates will develop imaging techniques that will refine the way the NHS treats us, thus saving money and making the treatments that we receive more relevant to us as individuals.