Ongoing projects - Prof. Cristina Masoller
You can find information about finished projects here
2021 SGR 00606 Agency for Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR), Generalitat de Catalunya Description: Financial support to the research group Dinàmica no Lineal, Òptica
no Lineal i Làsers
(DONLL), coordinated by Prof. Masoller |
Information Processing and Sensing with Photonic
Neurons 2024-2027 European Office of Aerospace Research and Development (EOARD) USA, FA8655-24-1-7022 Description: The goal of this
project is to develop a new solution for energy-efficient information
processing. In these days when artificial intelligence (AI) systems consume
enormous amounts of energy and computing power is reaching the limits of
digital electronics, new disruptive approaches are urgently
needed. Neurons can, with extremely low power
consumption, perform tasks that go far beyond the state of the art of
AI systems. Efficient neural coding mechanisms are responsible for this
amazing performance. Photonic neurons are optical systems with ultra-fast
neuron-like spiking outputs. This project aims to implement in photonic
neurons the mechanisms by which neurons encode information. We propose the
development of laser systems and algorithms that accurately mimic neural
information processing. At the hardware level, using commercial diode lasers
(that are highly efficient, fast and low cost) we will build photonic neurons
capable of using neural coding mechanisms for computation and sensing. To
develop specialized photonic neurons that selectively respond to external
inputs, we will conduct experiments and simulations to find conditions in
which diode lasers respond to weak inputs, as neurons do. At the software
level, we will develop new data analysis tools to decipher the information
encoded in the emitted sequences of optical spikes. |
Doctoral Network BE-LIGHT: Improving BiomEdical diagnosis through LIGHT-based
technologies and machine learning 2023-2027 European Commission, HORIZON-101119924 Description: Photonics is crucial for maintaining and increasing the
competitiveness of EU industry, and light-based instruments are fundamental for
non-invasive diagnostics and treatment of diseases, delivering huge economic
benefits for national health systems. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and
Machine Learning (ML) have demonstrated their capability to classify and
identify patterns in data, achieving reliability levels that are comparable
to those of experienced physicians. To fully develop
the potentials of these technologies, Doctoral Network BE-LIGHT will train 11
Researchers in photonic technologies (multispectral imaging, eye-tracking,
optical coherence tomography, multispectral optoacoustic tomography, superresolution microscopy and optogenetics)
that will be complemented with AI/ML, computational imaging and modelling. A
close-to-the-clinic approach will allow them to advance the field of
biomedicine, with the ultimate goal of improving the understanding, diagnosis
and treatment of diseases in 3 main research areas: visual health,
cardiovascular health, and analysis of cells and tissues (related to
Parkinson’s and rare diseases) using super-resolution microscopy. BE-LIGHT
brings together an interdisciplinary consortium of 7 top academic
institutions, 3 internationally recognized hospitals, and 7 companies with
complementary know-how in photonics, microscopy,
AI/ML, medical instruments and clinical research, to promote inter-sectoral
synergies. BE-LIGHT’s training program will provide the researchers with the
complete set of skills that are nowadays key for their success in both
academic and non-academic sectors. They will gain a broad understanding of
how state-of-the-art light-based technologies work, a solid knowledge of ML
and data processing, and will obtain experience in clinical and
commercialization processes. BE-LIGHT will open for them a wide range of
high-quality job opportunities. |
Experiments and data analysis tools to characterize
and forecast the output signals of complex systems 2022-2024 Agencia Estatal de Investigacion,
PID2021-123994NB-C21, Spain Description: The aim of this project is to advance the understanding
of nonlinear and stochastic processes in different complex systems, by using
and further developing appropriate data analysis tools, with the ultimate
goals of forecasting and controlling nonlinear behaviors, and exploit them
for applications. The project combines experiments, model simulations and
data analysis. The datasets to be investigated include experimental spatio-temporal data (time series of the intensity
emitted by semiconductor lasers, and the generated speckle patterns,
experimentally recorded in our lab), synthetic data (obtained by simulation
of neuronal models), and real-world data (biomedical signals and
climatological datasets). |
ICREA ACADEMIA 2021-2025 Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Generalitat de Catalunya. Description: ICREA Academia is a grant for professors who have
permanent positions in Catalan universities, to reduce their teaching load and
intensify their research activities. |