Research

Affiliations

Member of the IMages, leArning, Geometry and Statistics (IMAGeS) group, ICube Lab (UMR 7357), sub-group Biomedical Image Processing.

Member of the transversal program Imaging and Robotics for Medicine and Surgery (IRMC).

Member of ITI HealthTech Institute.

Current projects
Thermal ablation planning & fast simulation (RF / Cryo) High-fidelity simulation of ablation zones and outcome prediction for preoperative planning and intraoperative guidance. Interactive and automatic planning of optimal trajectories. Methods based on multi-resolution approaches, Neural Cellular Automata and Machine learning. Focus: multi-probe strategies, coverage vs. risk trade-off, fast surrogates for bio-heat transfer, validation on phantoms/clinical data.
Robotics, navigation & interaction (VR/AR, haptics) Systems for image-guided navigation and human-in-the-loop interaction (VR/AR, haptics) to design, validate and deliver interventional plans. Focus: UI/UX for CAI, virtual and augmented reality, training & rehearsal, robot-compatible plans, workflow integration.
Real-time tracking of needle insertion & deformable replanning Replanning in deformable environment — abdominal percutaneous surgery Image-guided tracking in deformable organs with adaptive replanning to maintain accuracy in abdominal percutaneous procedures. Collaborations: TU Darmstadt – GRIS, IHU Strasbourg, TIMC-IMAG – GMCAO. Focus: target coverage, risk minimization (vessels/critical structures), bundle-aware paths, evaluation metrics, decision support.
Planning of flexible (articulated) needles and non linear trajectories Planning for articulated/continuum needles, curved “no-touch” paths and coordinated multi-shot approaches to reach complex targets. Focus: mechanics-aware planning, constraints handling, accuracy vs. invasiveness, phantom & pre-clinical validation. Collaborations: IHU Strasbourg, INSA Strasbourg.
Neurosurgical trajectory planning (DBS, SEEG, craniotomy) Constraint-based modeling and multi-criteria optimization for safe, efficient trajectory and access planning in functional and tumor neurosurgery. Focus: target coverage, risk minimization (vessels/critical structures), bundle-aware paths, evaluation metrics, decision support.

Past projects
Automatic preoperative planning for thermal ablation (liver & kidney) Planning of RF/cryo ablation integrating coverage and risk constraints. Collaborations: HUJI – L. Joskowicz, CHU Strasbourg.
3D simulation & automatic planning for interventional radiology Ablation of hepatic, renal, prostate tumors (RF/cryo), VR & haptics simulations, heat propagation modeling, robotic planning. Collaborations: IRCAD, IHU, Strasbourg Hospital.
Interaction in immersive environments Haptic feedback and touchless interfaces; 3D haptic menus.
Guided navigation in solution spaces Exploration of solution spaces from geometric constraint solving and multi-objective optimization.

Keywords

Medical imaging – Computer-Assisted Interventions – Automatic preoperative surgical planning – 3D simulation – Geometric constraint solving – Solution space browsing – Multi-criteria optimization – Virtual/augmented reality – Haptics – RF ablation – Cryoablation – Neurosurgery (DBS/SEEG) – Robotic planning.

Diplomas and past affiliations

In sabbatical (délégation) at INRIA (2008–2010), IRISA, Rennes – Bretagne Atlantique (INRIA), VISAGES group.
Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches (2011): “Modélisation géométrique et réalité virtuelle pour l’assistance à la planification de trajectoires en chirurgie mini-invasive.”
Post-Doc at IRCAD (2002): “Simulation d’ablation de tumeurs du foie par RF percutanée incluant l’effet de la vascularisation.”
PhD (2001): “Sélection dans l’espace des solutions engendrées par un plan de construction géométrique.”