In this project you will apply machine learning techniques to develop automatic delineation of tumours and normal structures for radiotherapy of oesophageal cancer. With a large data set of images taken before and during treatment, you will apply machine learning as well to image-guidance and adaptive treatment strategies to improve the accuracy of treatment delivery.

Radiotherapy is a treatment modality where patients receive a high radiation dose localized to the tumour, while minimizing exposure of surrounding normal tissue. Exact delineation of the tumour on medical images forms the basis for an accurate treatment.  Daily imaging of the patients prior to irradiation allows adjustment of the treatment to enhance accuracy further.

Radiotherapy of oesophageal cancer is particularly challenging. Target definition on medical images suffers from inter-observer variability and motion of the oesophagus further increases the uncertainty in localizing the target at the time of treatment.

You have obtained a MSc degree in physics, biomedical engineering, technical medicine or a related discipline. In addition, you are interested in image analysis, image registration and radiotherapy: experience in these fields is appreciated. You are highly motivated, and able to work independently as well as in a multidisciplinary team. You should be able to communicate effectively across different disciplines.

Fixed-term contract: maximum duration of four years.

You will be employed on the basis of a 36-hour week. Appointment should lead to a PhD thesis and is for a maximum duration of four years. Your salary is € 2,279 gross per month in the first year, progressing to € 2,919 gross per month in the fourth year based on a full time position (scale PhD students of the Collective Labor Agreement for University Hospitals).

The terms of employment offered by the LUMC are highly favorable. For example, you will receive 8% holiday remuneration, a year-end bonus, and a pension arrangement with the National Civil Pension Fund. Also, as employee of one of the University Hospitals in the Netherlands, you can benefit from our collective health insurance policy.

Moreover, the LUMC offers excellent facilities in the area of education, child-care center, and career advice.

The LUMC is a center for medical innovation that aims to improve patient care through leading international research. So as to also provide our patients with a safe and friendly environment, we need doctors, medical care specialists, support staff and academic researchers. 

The LUMC Department of Radiotherapy has several established clinical research lines (especially for gastro-intestinal and gynaecological cancer and palliative care). This position will be part of the medical physics research group: as such you will be embedded in a multi-disciplinary team consisting of radiation oncologists and medical physicists of the Radiotherapy department, as well as computer scientists from the Division of Image Processing (also known as LKEB).