PhD Student (f/m/d) in the field of treatment verification for proton therapy to predict prompt gamma-ray timing distributions

With cutting-edge research in the fields of ENERGY, HEALTH and MATTER, around 1,500 employees from more than 70 nations at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) are committed to mastering the great challenges facing society today.

At the Institute of Radiooncology – OncoRay scientists (f/m/d) specializing in medicine, physics, biology and IT work together to crucially improve the treatment of cancer by administering radiation therapy that is biologically-personalized and technically-optimized.

The Department of Medical Radiation Physics is looking for a PhD Student (f/m/d) in the field of treatment verification for proton therapy to predict prompt gamma-ray timing distributions.

Your tasks

• Development of a particle transport code for prediction of Prompt Gamma-Ray Timing (PGT) spectra based on the treatment plan, for the technical optimization of the PGT system and the application to first patient data
• Generation of an atlas of realistically simulated Prompt Gamma-Ray Timing distributions in patients to establish AI models
• Collaboration with industrial partners to implement the developed algorithms in a professional application
• Publication of your own work at conferences and in recognized refereed journals
• Preparation of a PhD thesis

Your profile

• Completed university degree (Master/Diploma) in the field of physics, computer sciences, engineering or comparable natural science
• Very good knowledge in the fields of medical, nuclear and particle physics, and the interaction of radiation and matter
• Basic knowledge of proton therapy and treatment planning
• Interest in working successfully in a team in a multidisciplinary and international environment
• Strong interest in developing your own software codes
• Willingness to travel and continue training
• Good written and spoken English
• Helpful are practical experience in particle transport codes (i.e. Geant4) and tools for the analysis of complex list-mode data (e.g. root, python)

Our offer

• A vibrant research community in an open, diverse and international work environment
• Scientific excellence and extensive professional networking opportunities
• A structured PhD program with a comprehensive range of continuing education and networking opportunities - more information about the PhD program at the HZDR can be found here
• Salary and social benefits in accordance with the collective agreement for the public sector (TVöD-Bund) including 30 days of paid holiday leave, company pension scheme (VBL)
• Possibility of performance-based increase of contract working hours from 19.5 h/week (50 %) to 28.25 h/week (75 %)
• We support a good work-life balance with the possibility of mobile work and flexible working hours
• Numerous company health management offerings
• Employee discounts with well-known providers via the platform Corporate Benefits
• An employer subsidy for the "Deutschland-Ticket Jobticket"

We look forward to receiving your application documents (including cover letter, CV, diplomas/transcripts, etc.), which you can submit via our online-application-system.