Thomas Primidis successfully passes PhD viva
Congratulations to Thomas Primidis on successfully completing his PhD on the ‘Design and optimisation of ultra-compact, high-resolution, 3D X-ray imaging systems’.
Thomas joined the QUASAR Group in 2017 to work in collaboration with one of the group’s industrial partners, Adaptix Ltd. He split his time between Liverpool and Daresbury, in the University of Liverpool and the Cockcroft Institute respectively, and spent several months in Oxford, at Adaptix’s head office and R&D facilities. He has been supervised by Prof. Carsten Welsch and Dr Javier Resta-Lopez.
In close collaboration with Adaptix, Thomas developed detailed physics models of the company’s novel cold-cathode, 3D X-ray imaging systems that gave critical insight into system performance that is either costly or simply impossible to get with experiments. The models offered an end-to-end characterisation of X-ray source performance, X-ray beam quality, patient dose and 3D image quality. This has been a first-of-its-kind study of cold-cathode, rectangular X-ray source arrays for 3D X-ray imaging and has helped Adaptix take informed decisions during R&D to accelerate their route to market. Thomas also developed Ipioni, a computer-aided-design application that automates the design of new 3D X-ray imaging systems for Adaptix such as their up-and-coming multi-flat-panel-source-array chest 3D X-ray imaging system. Thomas’ work lays the foundations for further research into an X-ray source technology that can be portable, cheaper, smaller and a potential alternative to conventional X-ray tubes and has reduced the cost of its commercialisation.
Thomas said: “I enjoyed the flexibility and support that my supervisors gave me, both from the University of Liverpool and from Adaptix, to work on different ideas. Thanks to this, I developed a diverse foundation for this project from which different new research projects can spin out. It is very rewarding to see your work having an impact in medical technology, but it is also greatly fulfilling to see new PhD candidates being inspired by your work and using parts of it as seeds for something bigger!”
Thomas has presented his work in scientific conferences around the world and in peer reviewed scientific journals, also having the honour of presenting his work to Members of Parliament in the prestigious STEM for Britain event. He has also been a passionate science communicator, participating in several science communication competitions, having pivotal roles in “Physics of Star Wars”, “Accelerator and Particle Physics Masterclass” and other outreach events climaxing with him being funded by STFC to hold his own science outreach events targeted towards underrepresented communities in the UK.
Thomas is now a research associate at King’s College London, developing and maintaining EpiNav™, a software application that automates keyhole tool neurosurgery planning, helping doctors plan neurosurgeries faster, with more confidence and with fewer complications for patients.