UCL HEP Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Proton Beam Therapy (Ref: B04-03642)
The High Energy Physics group at UCL invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow position in Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) diagnostics development.
A detector is currently under development within the group — the Quality Assurance Detector for Proton Beam Therapy (QuADProBe) — to make fast, accurate measurements of proton beam spot position, size and range in water (Water Equivalent Path Length) at clinical PBT facilities as part of the Quality Assurance (QA) procedure required for safe treatment. This will incorporate the highly successful Quality Assurance Range Calorimeter (QuARC) that is in the advanced stages of development for fast and accurate proton range measurements. The successful applicant will be expected to take a leading role in the detector development, with a focus on the data acquisition and readout, including the development of the beam position readout system and front-end interface.
The successful applicant will have a PhD in high energy physics, medical physics or a related subject and will have detailed knowledge of high energy physics or medical physics detector systems, in particularly with data acquisition and detector readout, with hands-on experience of designing, simulating, building and commissioning such systems. The fellow will join the proton beam therapy detector group within High Energy Physics.
Experience with the design, assembly and testing of the relevant detector systems is essential. Advanced knowledge of proton beam therapy detectors and diagnostics, FPGA programming and curve fitting, analogue light readout systems and associated front end electronics, is highly desirable. Knowledge of analogue circuit design, the Geant4 simulation package, the C++ programming language and related high energy physics data analysis packages, such as ROOT, is also desirable. Candidates should also have excellent written and verbal communication.
Some details on the QuARC detector prototype are given in the following papers:
- A scintillator-based range telescope for particle therapy
- A mathematical expression for depth‐light curves of therapeutic proton beams in a quenching scintillator
- Experimental exploration of a mixed helium/carbon beam for online treatment monitoring in carbon ion beam therapy
This fellowship is funded for 3 years in the first instance. Appointment at Grade 7 (£39,508 – £47,355 per annum) is dependent upon having been awarded a PhD; if this is not the case, initial appointment will be at Research Assistant Grade 6B (salary £33,619 – £36,348 per annum, inclusive of London Allowance) with payment at Grade 7 being backdated to the date of final submission of the PhD thesis.
For further details about the vacancy and how to apply online please go to the online UCL Vacancies page, which also includes the Job Description and Person Specification. Informal enquiries regarding the vacancy can be made to Dr Simon Jolly.
Closing Date: 31st May 2023.
Interviews for those candidates shortlisted are currently scheduled for 20th June 2023.