As a PhD student you will work on a project to validate MRI techniques that localize and quantify radiation-induced damage to the salivary gland system and to the swallowing muscles, in patients treated with head-and-neck radiotherapy. You will develop MRI sequences in a group of healthy volunteers and patients, and setup a prospective patient study for the clinical validation of  the MRI protocol. Your research will be carried out both in the LUMC and in HollandPTC, the recently opened institute for proton therapy, established by LUMC, Erasmus MC and TU Delft, located in Delft. You will work in a multidisciplinary team, consisting of medical physicists, MR physicists, head-and-neck radiotherapists, head-and-neck radiologists and speech-language pathologists. This project is funded by HollandPTC and VARIAN.

• You have obtained an MSc degree in Technical Medicine, Biomedical Sciences or equivalent studies

• You have an interest in (functional) MRI, image analysis, and image registration

• You have interest in radiotherapy

• You will work in a multidisciplinary setting and with several institutions

We are looking for an enthusiastic and driven individual with an MSc degree in Biomedical Sciences, Technical Medicine or equivalent studies. You have an interest in MR imaging, functional MRI, image analysis, image registration and radiotherapy: experience in these fields is appreciated. You should be able to work independently as well as in a multidisciplinary team. Excellent verbal and written communication are essential.

Fixed-term contract: duration of education.

When appointed as a PhD candidate you will be appointed for four years. Appointment will end with completing a doctoral thesis. Your salary is based on the collective labor agreement of university medical centers, scale Pro.

LUMC

At the Leiden University Medical Center, we continuously work on improving patient care. We invest in groundbreaking, international research and work with the latest equipment. Together with our team of doctors, medical specialists, teachers, academic researchers and supporting staff, we aim for the best quality in health care, education and international research. And we need you to realize our goals!

http://www.lumc.nl/

The Department of Radiotherapy

The Department of Radiotherapy aims to provide optimal care for patients with cancer in combination with innovative research. The department has several clinical research lines for gastro-intestinal cancer, gynecological cancer and palliative care, and also focuses on research in the field of proton therapy, this in close collaboration with HollandPTC. This position will be part of the medical physics research group, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. U.A. van der Heide, professor in imaging techniques in radiotherapy, in close collaboration with the Radiology department and the HollandPTC.

HollandPTC is an independent outpatient clinic and research centre, located in Delft. The centre has two proton gantries with in-room CT imaging, a treatment room for the irradiation of eye tumors, and a bunker with a proton bundle for research. In addition, the centre has modern imaging equipment, including a dual-energy CT, a 3T MRI, and a PET/CT. HollandPTC’s mission is to provide patients with the best proton therapy presently available, in a safe and welcoming environment, where they are treated with care and diligence. You will be part of the HollandPTC R&D program. Our mission is to prove the added value of proton therapy, which we do in cooperation with the national and international radiotherapy and oncology community.