International researchers within imaging visited Mid Sweden University to learn about AI/ML

Plenoptima is a European Joint Doctoral Programme with universities and research institutes, that together recruited 15 early stage researchers in 2021. Each early stage researcher has been enrolled at two different universities and will receive a double degree after completing their doctoral studies. Beside studying in their main university, the students will spend at least 6 months of their doctoral studies at the other university.

- The Plenoptima students get a personal career plan that fulfills all requirements for a double degree and their area of research. Thanks to the network, they also get a unique opportunity to visit different research environments across Europe, and build their own professional networks for their further career, Prof. Atanas Gotchev explains.

The Plenoptima network arranges training events twice a year at different universities and research institutes all over Europe. In March 2022, the first Training School was arranged as a physical meeting in Tampere University, Finland. Now in September 2022 the second Training School was arranged at Mid Sweden University in Sundsvall.

- This second training school offered a week full of lectures within Machine and Deep Learning for Plenoptics, and we finished off the week with a practical workshop on Research communication, tells Prof. Gotchev.

The next training school event will be arranged in 2023 at INRIA, Rennes, France.

- All institutions in the project complements each other and brings different value in to the consortium. This is one of the great benefits for the students; they get to take part of versatile research environments. It is also a great opportunity for the senior supervisors to meet and exchange knowledge, Prof. Gotchev sums up.

The Plenoptima research project started in 2021 and is a European collaboration between universities, research institutes and partner organizations and is funded by EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. The cooperation will work towards developing an interdisciplinary approach to plenoptic imaging.