PhD candidate 'Prospective breast cancer screening trial for optimized mammography interpretation with AI assistance'

We are looking for a PhD candidate who is eager to contribute to a prospective breast cancer screening trial focused on optimizing mammography interpretation with AI assistance.

In this project, we will perform a prospective trial at the Dutch Breast Cancer Screening Program to determine the impact on screening performance when optimizing the radiologist’s interpretation. This trial will involve two rounds of screening for 84,000 women and will leverage new knowledge that has been generated in a prior laboratory-setting project. Specifically, we will integrate recent advances in artificial intelligence-based automated interpretation of medical images, and new knowledge on the human visual system into the screening mammography reading process.

Combining these new capabilities and new knowledge has the potential to radically change and improve the performance of breast cancer screening, allowing for an increase in the early detection of cancer, while reducing the rate of false alarms. As a result, we envision that large regional and national screening programs, like the Dutch National Breast Cancer Screening Program will become more effective and efficient.

The AXTI (Advanced X-ray Tomographic Imaging) laboratory of the Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine at Radboudumc works closely with breast screening radiologists and industry to develop new and improve existing methods and processes in screening breast imaging. Our direct connection with the Dutch Expert Centre for Screening (LRCB) ensures and maximizes the relevance and applicability of our developments.

In addition, in this project we will work together with experts in human visual perception, AI-based interpretation of images, breast cancer screening, and screening workflow. Finally, we will work closely with industrial partners that are involved in every aspect of breast cancer image interpretation in screening, including AI, image analysis, image display, and workflow.

Tasks will consist of setting up and aiding in the execution of a prospective screening trial at various screening centers of the Dutch Breast Cancer Screening Program, including analysis of large data sets of screening interpretation outcomes and of survey results, as well as presenting and writing papers on the study results.

You should be a creative and enthusiastic researcher with an MSc in epidemiology, biomedical sciences, technical medicine, psychology, or similar. Moreover you have:

• Experience or interest in radiology and/or medical imaging and affinity with biomedical research.
• Experience with SPSS, SAS, or R is required.
• Excellent communication skills and fluent in Dutch and English, both written and spoken.

At Radboud university medical center, you build on your future. We are committed to providing the best care, education, and research. And we are true to our word, because we help you develop and seize opportunities and give you the room to grow. As an employer, we believe that employees should feel vital and happy at work in all stages of life. We are also committed to creating a healthy and safe working environment. Our employment conditions contribute to that. What we offer:

• Upon commencement of employment, you will start at scale 10A, step 0 (€ 3.108 based on a full-time appointment). Over a maximum period of 4 years, you will progress to scale 10A, step 3 (€3.939 based on a full-time appointment). You will also receive an 8% holiday allowance, an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and a 47% to 72% bonus for working unsocial hours.
• 176 vacation hours per year based on a 36-hour working week.

The Department of Medical Imaging is one of the most active research departments of the Radboudumc. More than 100 researchers are continuously striving to optimize healthcare. Close cooperation between preclinical researchers, radiologists and cardiologists gives a fantastic opportunity to implement new imaging techniques in clinical practice, and you will be working directly in this field. For the last three years, the Department has been rated as 3rd best in the world for research among radiology departments.

Advanced X-ray Tomographic Imaging laboratory
The AXTI laboratory is focused on the development, optimization, and clinical evaluation of new x-ray-based imaging methods. The lab focuses on the use of medical physics approaches to improve image acquisition methods and processing algorithms, and to evaluate the clinical performance of new technology in new clinical applications. The group counts with wide-ranging expertise in image processing, reconstruction, and analysis, as well as observer studies, screening, radiation dosimetry, along with the design and performance of patient trials.

Radboudumc
Welcome to Radboud university medical center (Radboudumc), where scientific breakthroughs are born through the curiosity and passion of our collaborating researchers in a vibrant environment. We believe trust and excitement are crucial elements to achieving our goals, and we approach our research as teams and with the utmost rigor to make a significant impact on health and healthcare. Our researchers are driven by their fascination with the biological, psychological, and sociological mechanisms underlying health and healthcare. They collaborate with partners from all over the world to improve health outcomes for all. Radboudumc unites patient care, research, education, and corporate learning, which allows us to approach our mission to shape the health and healthcare of the future in an innovative and person-centered way.

Our ambition is to lead the way in the pursuit of prevention, sustainability, meaningful care. We believe that through our research, we can significantly improve the health and well-being of society. Join us on our mission to make a difference in healthcare. Become a part of our community of gifted researchers, professionals or patient partners who are dedicated to making a real impact on population health and healthcare.

Read what it is like to do a PhD at the Radboud University Medical Center.