We are offering a 5-week paid internship, open to University of Kent undergraduate students, to work with Dr Mike Hughes in the Applied Optics Group in the area of holographic microscopy in June/July 2023. This is an opportunity to experience being part of a vibrant and international research group carrying out work into a variety of advanced optical imaging and systems. You will be based in the Photonics Centre, which contains a suite of optical laboratories, office space, and a clean air suite for fibre preparation.
Deadline: 16th April
Holographic microscopy is a type of computational microscopy in which the phase of light can be recovered. The phase can provide information about samples which are transparent, and so otherwise difficult to visualise, and it also allows us to numerically refocus the image. This means that a single hologram can be computationally processed to generate an image focused at any depth within the sample. It’s then possible to dispense with the objective lens and focusing mechanics of traditional microscopes, and build a simple microscope consisting only of a light source and a camera, dramatically reducing the cost. This makes holographic microscopy ideal for resource-constrained environments or as an educational and outreach tool.
For several years we have focused on developing new compact types of holographic microscopes, with a particular focus on using fibres for image collection. With funding from the Royal Society we have built a prototype inline holographic microscopy using fibre imaging bundles, and are now working on improved resolution and depth range, as well as exploring applications. We have also built an extensive code-base in Python for real-time holographic microscopy which has been open-sourced.
To extend the range of applications of holographic microscopes we would like to further develop these systems towards the eventual aim of an open-source, compact and low-cost design. You will contribute to this goal by testing several components/designs for holographic microscopes. You will work in an optics laboratory to collect data and holographic images, analyse the data by writing Python scripts to interface with our existing codebase, and generate reports to inform our future research directions. The exact work to be carried out can be tailored to your interests/expertise, but will likely include some of:
- optical assembly and measurements;
- interfacing cameras with edge computing devices (e.g. Raspberry Pi);
- scientific imaging/data analysis in Python;
- simple mechanical design and 3D printing.
You will be given training and support at all stages, but some experience of programming in Python or similar languages and some experience performing laboratory measurements and analyzing data would be beneficial. You will also have the opportunity to see the range of research being carried out in the Applied Optics Group, and participate in our scientific meetings.
For more details on the bursary available, dates, person specification, and to apply visit:
https://careers.kent.ac.uk/leap/jobs.html?id=80387&service=Careers%20Service
Read a report by a previous intern here: