On Wednesday, January 7, 2026, sixteen final‑year Bachelor students from the School of Engineering at HES‑SO Valais‑Wallis visited CIBM’s facilities at EPFL and CHUV to learn more about advanced research and technologies at the cross-section between biomedical imaging and data science. Oscar Esteban, Associate Professor at HES‑SO and an active member of the CIBM community coordinated this part of the 5-day ‘Voyage d’études’ organized by HES-SO. Professor Esteban previously gave a Breakfast & Science seminar, proposed the fMRIPrep Bootcamp in 2024, and hosted a Visitors Talk in 2025.
Cristina Cudalbu, Head of the CIBM‑PCI EPFL Metabolic Imaging Section, presented a short introduction of the CIBM followed by a clear overview of the pre‑clinical imaging activity focusing on advanced metabolic imaging using MR spectroscopy, spectroscopic imaging, and MR-PET to study in vivo metabolism, combined with MR imaging for tissue structure and microstructure using diffusion MRI.
The presentation was enriched with the participation of two research staff scientists of the CIBM PCI EPFL Section Bernard Lanz, 14.1T MRI and PET Operational Manager who explained the PET activities, and by Thanh Phong Lê, 9.4T MRI Operational Manager, who covered everything related to the magnets.
After the presentation, the students toured the Center’s research facilities, including the pre‑clinical MRI infrastructure. They observed the operation of ultra-high field MRI scanners and learned about the technical and scientific challenges involved in imaging small animals for translational studies. During the visit the students had the opportunity to engage discussions with the CIBM members discover the interdisciplinary collaborations among CIBM that drives innovation within the Center.
The group continued their visit to the CIBM’s facilities at the Department of Radiology at CHUV, where Eleonora Fornari and Jean-Baptiste Ledoux continued the student’s dive into the MRI technology. Dr. Fornari presented the principal research & clinical MRI system at CHUV, the 3T PrismaFit scanner where she carried out a brief demonstration of data collection of structural and functional MRI Mr. Ledoux demonstrated the new Free. Max 0.55T ultra low field MRI system.
Finally, the students attended two presentations about the broader data science discipline at CHUV. First, they learned about CHUV’s new Biomedical Data Science Center (BDSC), presented by the Head of the Clinical Data Science Group at BDSC, Dr. Jean Louis Raisaro. BDSC’s introduction was followed by a presentation of the CIBM Data Science CHUV-HUG Imaging for Precision Medicine Section, where James Bardet, Imaging Data Engineer, introduced the work of the section, its ongoing projects, and its scientific and translational goals. The presentation provided insight into how large-scale medical imaging data, advanced analytics, and machine-learning methods are used to support precision medicine, from data curation and processing to clinical decision-support tools. This session highlighted the central role of data science in transforming biomedical imaging into actionable knowledge for patient care.
This educational exchange strengthened the connection between CIBM, CHUV, and HES‑SO Valais‑Wallis, and bolstered the students’ background on the medical informatics and data science domain, a priority interest within the HES-SO’s Bachelor on Computer Science and Communication Systems.