PhD  student

Increased Precision for personalized Cancer treatment delivery utilising 4D Adapted Proton Therapy (EPIC-4DAPT)

PSI is a pioneer in the field of proton therapy. It conducts technological and clinical research in order to optimize spot-scanning proton beam therapy and extend the spectrum of indications for proton radiotherapy. Besides research activities, PSI provides a clinical program for patients presenting with indications that are accepted by the Swiss Health Care System for proton beam therapy. The Center for Proton Therapy collaborates closely with Departments for Radiotherapy at Universities and Swiss Cantonal Hospitals.

In this project, funded by the Swiss National Foundation (SNF), we aim to develop tools and workflows to support an efficient 4D Adaptive Proton Therapy (4DAPT) framework for Pencil Beam Scanned Proton Therapy (PBS-PT) treatment. We will also investigate an alternative method of patient positioning in order to reduce the size and the costs of future proton therapy facilities.

For the Center of Proton Therapy (PSI) we are looking for a PhD student- Increased Precision for personalized Cancer treatment delivery utilising 4D Adapted Proton Therapy (EPIC-4DAPT)

Your Tasks

In this work package, we would like to extend our knowledge of typical patient motions and anatomical changes by obtaining detailed insights on inter- and intra-fractional motion characteristics via repeated longitudinal 4DMR studies in both vertical and horizontal orientations of subjects (patients or volunteers). The acquired motion dataset will be used to evaluate the potential degradation of current treatment regimens due to anatomical motions for patients in both orientations. The main sub-projects are including,

• Investigate the inter-fractional motion variability based on the longitudinal study of repeated 4DMR acquisitions
• Comparative study on motion characteristics between vertical and horizontal positioning
• Incorporate the new motion data into the 4D numerical phantom for dosimetric Investigation
• Develop the GPU-based Monte Carlo 4D dose calculation and reconstruction framework
• PhD dissertation in Medical Physics on the topic of “Investigation for Inter-fractional motion variability and its dosimetric impact for 4DAPT”, being part of the SNF-funded EPIC-4DAPT project.
• Collaborate and support the other PhD students in EPIC-4DAPT and related projects

Your profile

·         MSc degree in physics, biomedical engineering, or related disciplines

·         Fluent in English (for oral and written)

·         Research interest and ambitions for excellence in medical physics

·         Analytical skills and ability to work independently

·         Good communication skills relevant for working in an international and interdisciplinary research group

·         Experiences in 4DMR, Monte Carlo simulation, image processing, machine/deep learning and good programming skills are advantageous

We offer

Our institution is based on an interdisciplinary, innovative and dynamic collaboration. You will profit from systematic training on the job, in addition to personal development possibilities and our pronounced vocational training culture. If you wish to optimally combine work and family life or other personal interests, we are able to support you with our modern employment conditions and the on-site infrastructure.

Kindly submit your completed application (including cover letter, CV, diplomas/transcripts, etc.) only via our Online-application-system

The deadline for submitting an application is 15^th December, 2022.

For further information, please contact Dr. Ye Zhang (ye.zhang@psi.ch).