PhD Profile: Cathal Dorgan’s Fascinating Project That Connects Maths and Neuroscience

By |2021-12-16T15:15:08+00:00December 16th, 2021|

An emerging expert in the field of non-linear dynamics, Cathal Dorgan joined INFANT as a PhD researcher in October, bringing with him cutting edge knowledge and ideas.

An ambitious researcher, Cathal aspired to enrol in a postgraduate programme that offered him the opportunity to delve deeper into areas that specifically interested him after completing a Bachelor of Science at University College Cork.

As part of my final year project, I focussed on nonlinear dynamics. It was a field that I became increasingly interested in as I progressed through my undergraduate degree.

So, when I saw how nonlinear dynamics were at the core of the project INFANT were recruiting PhD students for, I jumped at the chance to apply for it.

Thankfully, I was successful in my application and received the opportunity to begin working at INFANT in October.

Studying under the supervision of Professor Sebastian Wieczorek, Cathal will be working on an SFI Frontiers for the Future project that is developing decision support tools for newborn brain protection at INFANT.

Specifically, Cathal will be applying mathematical techniques, models and theories so that the project team can accurately depict the behaviour of the neonatal brain.

Using various mathematical techniques like tipping point theory, transitions and bifurcation theory, we hope to model instabilities in the neonatal brain.

At the moment, I’m learning more about the mathematical theories that we’re planning to employ and the neurosciences that are at the heart of the project.

Ultimately, we want to identify abnormalities so that we can create a system that can predict seizures.

Curious by nature, Cathal is embracing the challenge of learning about neurosciences and breaking into an unfamiliar discipline.

Helped by the team of researchers that Professor Liam Marnane and Dr Gordon Lightbody have assembled to undertake the project, Cathal is already picking up on the nuances and intricacies associated with neurosciences.

Even though I’m only two months into the project, I’m already seeing how neuroscience and maths can interact and overlap.

There are five PhD students working on the project and we’re all working toward a solution from different angles. It’s hugely collaborative and really fascinating.

The multidisciplinary insights that Cathal is already gaining from the project are broadening his horizons and inspiring him to look at the possibility of working in a career that straddles industry and academia after he graduates.

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PhD Profile: Georgios Papanikolaou Explains How He’s leveraging Mathematical Systems to Identify Seizures in Infants

By |2021-12-09T16:10:59+00:00December 9th, 2021|

A PhD researcher with an eye for identifying the synergies that connect industry and academia, Georgios Papanikolaou comes to INFANT to work on an SFI Frontiers for the Future project to develop new AI models to predict seizures in the neonatal brain.

Working under the supervision of Professor Geraldine Boylan, Professor Liam Marnane and Professor Sebastian Wieczorek, Georgios is looking to combine mathematical systems, such as machine learning, system and control theory and tipping point theory, with real seizure data to develop models to foresee and identify the onset of seizures and develop strategies to reduce them in premature babies.

We already have programmes that can detect seizures, but what we want to do is to build a model that can predict them.

We want to identify specific readings from EEG and ECG signals so that we’re able to recognise the hallmarks of a seizure so that we can create an algorithm that can accurately identify and predict them.

Our first step is to precisely map a seizure and create a model that can identify one, then we’ll start working backwards to try and identify key indicators.

If we can do that, then we can start building a machine learning model.

Georgios will lean on his experience of applying mathematical theory across diverse industries during the project.

After graduating from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki with an MSc in Theoretical Computer Science and System and Control Theory, Georgios worked as a researcher with United Technologies Research Centre in Cork.

There, he worked on a project linked to the aerospace industry, focussing primarily on requirement formalisation so that data from key processes could be tested and maintained.

The programme that Georgios and his colleagues developed earned them a publication titled “ReForm: A Tool for Rapid Requirements Formalization”.

I’m really interested in applying knowledge across multiple industries and disciplines.

That’s what really excited me about this project. I understood how the knowledge that I had developed at United Technologies Research Centre could be applied in INFANT.

You can see how mathematical theories can be applied across multiple fields. Watching these ideas flow from one industry to the next is fascinating and the results only add to our knowledge.

In this sense, Georgios will not just contribute knowledge to INFANT, he also brings a passion for developing tangible solutions to research problems, enabling him to overcome any problems or challenges that he may encounter.

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INFANT Seminar Series: Dr Andrea Bowe and Dr Roberto Chioma To Present Their Research Plans

By |2021-12-06T10:39:55+00:00December 6th, 2021|

The final INFANT seminar series before Christmas will take place this Friday at 12 noon. Two of our new research fellows will present their research plans.

Dr. Andrea Bowe, an ICAT fellow will be discussing her PhD ‘Predicting Cognitive Outcomes In Childhood – Exploring the Role for Machine Learning’.

Dr. Roberto Chioma, a visiting Italian clinical fellow, will be discussing the early echocardiographic assessment of transitional hemodynamics.

We hope as many of you can attend and welcome our new INFANT members.

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PhD Profile: Shuwen Yu Describes How Automation Can Help Predict Seizures in the Neonatal Brain

By |2021-12-02T14:56:29+00:00December 6th, 2021|

A graduate of the MEngSc in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at University College Cork, Shuwen Yu joins the INFANT Research Centre to begin working on a PhD programme under the supervision of Professor Geraldine Boylan, Professor Liam Marnane and Dr Gordon Lightbody.

A stellar student at the North China Institute of Aerospace Engineering, where Shuwen received numerous awards and scholarships, including the China Space Foundation Scholarship, a National Scholarship of China and a China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Scholarship on his way to graduating with a Bachelor of Engineering in 2019.

One year later, Shuwen came to study at UCC, where he developed advanced skills in the field of automation and honed his knowledge of robotics.

In 2020 I came to Cork to study under Professor Liam Marnane and Dr Gordon Lightbody.

It was at UCC where I really learned a lot about Python and started to think about doing a PhD.

When I learned about the opportunity to study machine learning under Professor Marnane and Dr Lightbody at INFANT, my mind was made up.

Shuwen enrolled in the PhD programme in October and has begun working on the project to develop machine learning tools for clinical support in the protection of the neonatal brain.

The four-year project is part of a wider and more ambitious endeavour being undertaken by Professor Marnane and Dr Lightbody, who, alongside Professor Geraldine Boylan, are aiming to develop AI models that will help the early detection of neurological complications in infants and provide systems to allow for the effective monitoring of the efficacy of therapeutic interventions.

Specifically, Shuwen will be examining dynamic modelling techniques to help with the development of machine learning tools for clinical support in the protection of the neonatal brain.

Having just started the PhD programme in October, Shuwen is in the process of surveying data that he hopes will eventually help him to design a system that will result in better clinical outcomes for pre-term babies.

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INFANT PI and Pregnancy Loss Research Group Lead, Professor Keelin O’Donoghue, wins Irish Research Council Research Ally Prize

By |2021-12-03T14:14:41+00:00December 3rd, 2021|

Professor Keelin O’Donoghue, has been awarded a Research Ally Prize as part of the Irish Research Council Researcher of the Year 2021 awards for the positive impact that she has made as a mentor.

Announcing this year’s winners, Director of the Irish Research Council, Peter Brown, said: “I would like to congratulate the awardees on their awards. The standard of nominations this year was extremely high, and each of the winners should be immensely proud of their achievements. It is great to see this year’s winners representing a diverse range of research interests, which reflects the creativity and dynamism of the research community here in Ireland.”

Professor O’ Donoghue is a Consultant Obstetrician and Maternal-Fetal Medicine Sub-Specialist at Cork University Maternity Hospital and is actively engaged in impactful research, teaching and clinical practice. She leads the multi-disciplinary Pregnancy Loss Research Group, which comprises over 30 members, at all career stages. She has extensive supervisory/mentorship experience, with numerous researchers having completed/ongoing studies with her support, under a variety of programmes: PhD, Masters by research, MSc Public Health, MD, MSc Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Diploma Obstetrics & Gynaecology, and postdoctoral.

Professor O’Donoghue is one of ten 10 UCC winners of the Irish Research Council Research Ally Prizes. The Research Ally Prizes celebrate the role of supervisors, mentors, and research officers in supporting and sustaining the Irish research community, and how they help to foster a positive academic culture based on equality, inclusivity, and respect.

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