Leicester student behind Covid AI tool completes PhD early

Mr Lu said he hoped his research would help other patients avoid misdiagnosis

A student who helped created a new AI tool that can detect Covid-19 has achieved his PhD two years early.

Siyuan Lu, who was born in China, developed the tool - which the university said has a 97.86% accuracy rate - together with his PhD supervisor, Prof Yudong Zhang.

Mr Lu, 31, has severe cerebral palsy which was only diagnosed when he was two, due to an early misdiagnosis.

He said he hoped his research would help other patients avoid misdiagnosis.

'Inspirational'

Mr Lu's PhD has focussed on machine learning and computer-aided diagnosis.

The Covid AI tool software analyses chest CT scans and uses deep learning algorithms to diagnose the disease.

He and Prof Zhang hope AI, which is more reliable than PCR testing, offers an opportunity to screen and monitor Covid-19 cases on a large scale, reducing the burden on doctors.

Mr Lu, who uses a motorised wheelchair and needs assistance with eating and drinking, had never lived alone before moving to Leicester to start his PhD, in 2019.

Mr Lu hopes to return to China

However, the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown meant that for the first time in his life, he was forced to live independently while also researching for his PhD.

"I wasn't lonely because I could chat with my parents on the internet," he said.

"I would use the microwave oven and I would eat pizzas and instant noodles. It is very different from what I usually eat and it was pretty boring."

Prof Zhang, who is professor of knowledge discovery and machine learning at the university, said: "Siyuan is very inspirational.

"He had excellent research outputs and so will hopefully finish his PhD in two years whereas most PhD students need three or four years to finish. I hope that his story helps other people."

Mr Lu hopes to return to China after completing his viva voce in August.