Doctoral School

Introduction to X-ray computed tomography

Target audience

 Open to any PhD students interested to use Micro CT in their research. No prerequisites required. The expected disciplinary backgrounds are: Arts, Natural Sciences, (Bioscience) Engineering, Life sciences and medicine, researchers from 
other universities 

Organizing and scientific committee

Prof. Matthieu Boone (Fac. Sciences, UGent); Prof. Jan Van den Bulcke (Fac. Bio-Science Engineering, UGent);  Prof. Tom Bultreys (Fac. Sciences, UGent); Dr. Sharon Ellman (Fac. Sciences, UGent); Dr. Wannes 
Goethals (Fac. Sciences, UGent); Dr. Chandra Winardhi (Fac. Sciences, UGent); Bingrui Chen (Fac. Bio-Science Engineering;  UGent), Afsar Muhammad (Fac. Sciences, UGent),; Michèle Kint (Fac. Engineering & Architecture, UGent)

Abstract

High-resolution X-ray computed tomography (micro-CT) is a non-destructive imaging method that has become  increasingly valuable across a wide range of disciplines, including the natural sciences, geology, engineering, biology,  archaeology and pharma. This course is designed to provide an introduction to micro-CT for PhD candidates who are planning to use, or have recently begun using this technique. Participants will be introduced to the micro-CT scanners  available at the Ghent University expertise centre UGCT, as well as to international and commercial micro-CT facilities. 

Objectives

The course combines theoretical lectures covering the fundamentals of X-ray physics, micro-CT principles, three dimensional image reconstruction, and data analysis with practical training sessions. The hands-on components include  tomography measurements at the UGCT campus, as well as 3D image visualization and image analysis exercises. Subject  to prior agreement, participants may also have the opportunity to work with their own scanned samples during the  practical sessions. By the end of the course, students will have gained a solid understanding of how X-rays interact with  matter, the strengths and limitations of micro-CT, and the capabilities of image processing techniques. The course also  presents an overview of a broad range of micro-CT applications and experimental configurations that can be integrated  with UGCT’s micro-CT systems. This knowledge will enable students to design experiments more effectively and to  optimise their data analysis.  

Dates and venue

14/09/2026-17/09/2026
 Campus Proeftuin Building N3, Ghent University, Proeftuinstraat 86, 9000 Ghent 
and Campus Sterre building S8, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 297, Ghent 9000 

Programme

Day 1: Monday (14.09.2026: 9:00-16:30) 

  1. Welcome/course introduction – Dr. Wannes Goethals / Dr. Sharon Ellman (9:00 - 9:30)
  2. Introduction to Micro CT and UGCT facility – Prof. Matthieu Boone (9:30 - 10:30)
  3. Data analysis – overview on visualization, image processing – Prof. Tom Bultreys (10:45 – 12:15)
  4. Poster session during lunch (12:15 - 13:30)
  5. Practical session – static data analysis using ImageJ / Fiji– Prof. Tom Bultreys / Dr. Sharon Ellman (13:30 – 16:30) 


Day 2: Tuesday (15.09.2026: 9:00-17:15) 

  1. Welcome – Dr. Chandra Winardhi / Afsar Muhammad (9:00 – 9:15)
  2. Physics of Micro CT and hardware – Prof. Matthieu Boone (9:15 – 10:15)
  3.  Tomography reconstruction – Prof. Jan Alterman (10:30 - 12:00)  
  4. Lunch
  5. Practical session – custom visualization, scripting (13:00 – 17:15)  
    Short visits to scanner facility: 30-45 min per group of 10 
    Short demos in breakout room: VGstudio, Avizo, Python / Jupyter  


Day 3: Wednesday (16.09.2026: 9:00-16:30) 

  1. Welcome - Bingrui Chen (9:00 – 9:15)
  2. External speaker: Dr. Alessandra Patera (9:15 – 11:15)
  3.  Applications of X-ray tomography:
    Geology – Prof. Veerle Cnudde (11:30 - 12:30) 
  4. Lunch 
  5. Applications of X-ray tomography: 
    Wood technology – Prof. Jan Van den Bulcke (13:30 – 14:30) 
    Commercial applications - XRE/TESCAN (14:30 – 15:30)  
    International facilities: Excite network – Dr. Laurenz Schröer (15:45 – 16:15)  
  6. Closing notes – Dr. Wannes Goethals (16:15 – 16:30) 

Day 4: Thursday (17.09.2026: 9:00-18:30) 
The sessions of this day are not only for the Doctoral Schools course attendees, but are also open to a broader audience as a “user meeting” of the UGCT Core Facility. It is a unique opportunity for the early-career scientists registered for the 
course to get into contact with the more senior audience of this event. 
The precise schedule for this day is not yet finalised, but will be structured as follows: 
Morning session 1 (approx.. 9:30 – 10:30): update on the UGCT facility and the possibilities for industrial collaboration 
through iMatch 
Morning session 2 (approx.. 11:00 – 12:30): Scientific highlights from UGCT consortium members and keynote presentation 
(Dr. Alessandra Patera) on synchrotron imaging 
Afternoon sessions (approx.. 13:30 – 16:30): presentations from UGCT users and collaborators (spread over 2 sessions with 
a coffee break) 
Reception + poster session (approx. 16:30 – 18:00).  
The focus in this event is on giving inspiration for new collaborations, hence plenty of time is foreseen for discussion. The attendees of the Doctoral Schools course are expected to display their poster on this event as well, bringing them into 
contact with a broad range of researchers in various disciplines connected through their interest for high-resolution CT. 

Registration

  • Follow this link for the registration and waiting list. We check if you are eligible to participate. Due to limited places, we give priority to PhD students. Your registration will be confirmed by separate e-mail (outlook invite).
  • Cancellation of your registration can only be performed by sending an email to doctoralschools@ugent.be.

  • The no show policy applies.

Registration fee

Free of charge for Doctoral School members.

The registration fee for external participants is €250.


External participants should contact the organizing committee at Wannes.Goethals@ugent.be and Matthieu.Boone@ugent.be to receive an invoice issued by Ghent University.

Where possible, registrations from external participants belonging to the same institute should be handled collectively.

Admission to the doctoral school course is confirmed only after full payment has been received.

Number of participants

Maximum 45 

Language

English

Training method

Ex-cathedra lectures; Poster-session;  Practical exercises;  Guided visit to the scanner facility; Discussion

Evaluation method

100% attendance, poster or presentation 

After successful participation, the Doctoral School Office will add this course to your curriculum of the Doctoral Training Programme in Oasis. Please note that this can take up to one to two months after completion of the course.