Samuli Summala

In my PhD research, I study utilizing Monte Carlo method and stochastic optimization in quantitative photoacoustic tomography (QPAT). QPAT is an imaging modality where a short light pulse is used to generate ultrasound waves, which are measured on the target boundary. The aim is to reconstruct distributions of optical parameters providing information on tissue physiology, such as haemoglobin concentration or oxygen saturation. This is an ill-posed inverse problem requiring accurate modelling of light propagation in the target for its solution.

Monte Carlo method is widely utilized in modelling light propagation. Utilizing the method for solving the QPAT inverse problem is, however, computationally challenging, especially when reconstructing high-resolution images in three-dimensional volumes. The objective of my doctoral research is to develop methodologies which address the computational challenges and build a framework for using the Monte Carlo method in QPAT.