Real-time GPU-Accelerated Software Pipeline for Next-Generation Lens-Free Fluorescence Microscopy

/ Real-time GPU-Accelerated Software Pipeline for Next-Generation Lens-Free Fluorescence Microscopy

Real-time GPU-Accelerated Software Pipeline for Next-Generation Lens-Free Fluorescence Microscopy

Master internship - Leuven | More than two weeks ago

Turn a lens-free imaging (LFI) reconstruction pipeline into a configurable, testable, GPU-accelerated software workflow designed for real-time performance

At imec, the System Software teamdevelops applications that interact with complex hardware systems, ranging fromimplantable neural probes and lens-free imaging platforms to DNA sequencers andedge computing systems. This project focuses on bringing aresearch-grade computational imaging pipeline to production-level performance.The system reconstructs fluorescence images from a compact lens-free microscopeby solving a spatially varying deconvolution problem. In this role, you willprofile, redesign, and GPU-accelerate the pipeline to enable real-timerendering, helping bridge the gap between applied optics research and embeddedimaging software. Your responsibilities will include:

• Conduct a literature and background review onlens-free imaging reconstruction and the existing pipeline
• Restructure the codebase by refactoringnotebooks and scripts into a maintainable Python package with clean interfaces,configuration, and basic testing
• Perform benchmarking and profiling to identifyperformance bottlenecks and define realistic speed targets
• Contribute to algorithm and image qualityimprovements in alignment with stakeholders, for example by reducing artefactsand improving reconstruction quality
• Implement performance improvements, includingthe exploration of GPU acceleration where appropriate, based on profilingresults
• Support integration by collaborating with theteam to connect the package to internal libraries and the graphical userinterface
• Prepare documentation and report your work,including a small demo and a concise summary of results and recommended nextsteps

Type of internship: Master internship

Duration: 3 Months

Required educational background: Computer Science, Electrotechnics/Electrical Engineering

Supervising scientist(s): For further information or for application, please contact Cagatay Ozdemir (Cagatay.Ozdemir@imec.be )

The reference code for this position is 2026-INT-183. Mention this reference code in your application.

Imec allowance will be provided.

What you will do

• Conduct a literature and background review onlens-free imaging reconstruction and the existing pipeline
• Restructure the codebase by refactoringnotebooks and scripts into a maintainable Python package with clean interfaces,configuration, and basic testing
• Perform benchmarking and profiling to identifyperformance bottlenecks and define realistic speed targets
• Contribute to algorithm and image qualityimprovements in alignment with stakeholders, for example by reducing artefactsand improving reconstruction quality
• Implement performance improvements, includingthe exploration of GPU acceleration where appropriate, based on profilingresults
• Support integration by collaborating with theteam to connect the package to internal libraries and the graphical userinterface
• Prepare documentation and report your work,including a small demo and a concise summary of results and recommended nextsteps

What we do for you

imec is a world-leading research and innovation hub innanoelectronics and digital technologies. In the Innovative Systems andSoftware Applications (ISSA) department, you will collaborate with experts insoftware engineering who build the tools and applications that bring imec'shardware innovations to life. You will work in the System Software team withinthe Software Development & Prototyping (SDP) group, embedded in a team ofexperienced developers working on real-world systems across domains such as neuroscience,imaging, genomics, and edge computing. In this role, you will gain hands-onexperience across the full lifecycle of a software engineering productizationproject.

Who you are

• Youare a MSc student in Computer Science, Electronics, or a related field
• Youare available for a period of 3–6 months (share your available period in the application)
• Youcan communicate clearly and work independently
• Youhave good written and verbal English skills
• Youenjoy coding in Python and are interested in writing clean, reusable code

• Youare interested in image processing and computational imaging (e.g. OpenCV,PyTorch)
• You are eager to learn, take initiative, anddeliver tangible results

Type of internship: Master internship

Duration: 3 Months

Required edu