As of May 2023, we have no open PhD vacancies. New vacancies will appear periodically, so please check back later.
Research topics
Part of the research in our research group is financed by collaborative projects with companies and other research groups. Many of the possible doctoral subjects are therefore related to one of these projects.
On the other hand, researchers can also be funded by personal scholarships (funded by FWO, IWT or UGent), which are awarded on the basis of research proposals that do not necessarily tie in with existing projects.
At the moment we are conducting research in IPI in the following application areas:
- Autonomous vehicles
- UAVs/Drones
- Remote sensing (hyperspectral imaging)
- Agriculture and industrial inspection
- Improvement of multimedia consumer products
- Energy-efficient computing
- Medical applications (MRI, CT, dermatology), biological applications (e.g. plant growth, microscopy)
In our research group, there is room for both fundamental theoretical research, where the emphasis is mainly on new techniques, and application-oriented research, where the emphasis is mainly on results and practical applicability. Our group's research emphasizes computer vision, image analysis, and image enhancement, for example:
- Merging data from multiple sensors (sensor fusion of RGB cameras, thermal cameras, radar, etc.) for improved detection, classification, and detection of objects
- Deep learning for classification and object detection (e.g. pedestrian detection)
- Low level analysis of images and video (texture analysis, road detection, building detection, detection of clinically relevant objects in medical images, etc.)
- Development of motion models for tracking objects in video
- Extraction of road networks in satellite imagery via excavation algorithms or deep learning
- Restoration / image improvement (denoising, sharpening, inpainting, inverse tone mapping, etc) of images and video
More information about our current research can be found here.
Starting a PhD with IPI
The intention is to conduct doctoral research on a subject in the domain of image processing within approximately 4 years time. During that time, you will receive a tax-free doctoral scholarship (financed through a project or a personal scholarship), on which social security contributions will be paid. It is the intention that you develop original techniques, algorithms, ... and then publish them at conferences (in the form of a poster or oral presentation) and (later) in journals.
Of course you will be coached by the promoter and the more experienced members of the research group, and you are also encouraged to collaborate with other researchers. Our group currently counts more than 40 researchers and we are involved in several research projects (both fundamental research and applied research).
Guidance takes place both in group (during scientific meetings) and individually (through conversations with the supervisor). We encourage our researchers to frequently attend conferences (the costs are reimbursed) and to deliver high quality presentations (resulting in various "best poster awards", scientific prizes, etc.). We read (especially the first) publications thoroughly and we do not leave researchers on their own.
In addition to doctoral research, you will also be involved in education (supervising exercises or projects), to a limited extent.
IPI provides ample opportunity for researchers to take initiative on their own and to develop professional networks.
Forms of financing
We finance PhD researchers either through our projects (which we first apply for and which are sponsored by the government and/or by companies), or through personal scholarship applications. In the first case, we decide ourselves who we recruit. Usually we start with a trial period of 1 year, which is then extended to 4 years. In the second case, an application must be approved by the body (FWO, IWT, UGent) where the scholarship is applied for.
As far as possible, if a PhD scholarship application is rejected, we aim to provide funding through a project. The concrete possibilities for the scholarship application are always discussed with the candidate.
- FWO grant applications
- FWO scholarships are awarded to students with excellent grades (minimum of high distinction) and who have a prestigious character. They must be applied for by submitting a short project proposal (2 to 3 pages), with a start date in October. The application must be submitted by the end of January. See the FWO website. If you wish to submit an application, you must fill in the administrative data on the application available via the FWO website. Of course, we will help you prepare the project proposal. The research subject will be determined in consultation with you.
- Other scholarships
- A variety of other scholarships are available for both Belgian and foreign researchers. More information is available on the UGent funding opportunities page here.
