Postdoctoral Research Associate - Medical Physics

A postdoctoral research associate position is available in the Ates lab.

Postdoctoral Research Associate in Medical Physics

Overview

Exceptional individuals are encouraged to apply for a Postdoctoral Research Associate within the Department of Radiation Oncology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. This two-year position offers an incredible opportunity to leverage state-of-the-art resources in a highly regarded research setting. Your contributions will be instrumental in pioneering and improving treatment strategies for pediatric cancer patients.

Research Focus

Our postdoctoral research associate program invites applicants for a role that combines innovative research in radiation oncology physics and adaptive proton therapy. The selected postdoctoral research associate will contribute to pioneering projects aimed at refining proton therapy techniques and improving outcomes for cancer patients. Our commitment lies in progressing adaptive proton therapy research and facilitating the translation of these advancements into clinical practice. The adaptive proton therapy lab conducts research on the following topics that the postdoc associate may choose from:

• Proton Range Verification for Interfractional Radiation Therapy: Proton range verification is employed to improve the precision and consistency of proton therapy with a particular focus on daily proton range verification techniques.
• CBCT-based Plan of the Day Dose Calculation: CBCT images are used to create synthetic-CT images and calculate "plan of the day" dose distributions, enabling treatment plans to adapt based on daily anatomical variations.
• Motion Management Strategies for Intrafractional Radiation Therapy: Advancing motion management strategies for intrafractional proton therapy is crucial, especially for tumors subject to motion from respiration.  The strategies will include but are not limited to repainting and gating to mitigate the interplay effect between delivery timing and moving tumors.
• Machine Learning and AI in Proton Therapy: The integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning continues to revolutionize healthcare. Our lab contributes to this domain by developing predictive models and algorithms to improve fast adaptive proton dose calculation, and auto-segmentation projects.
• Clinical Translation and Patient Outcome Studies: Our ultimate goal is to enhance patient care. Therefore, the postdoctoral research associate will participate in clinical trials to assess the impact of the above topics on patient outcomes, thus helping to expedite the clinical translation of advancements in adaptive proton therapy.

We encourage applications from individuals keen to contribute significantly to these areas of radiation oncology physics. Candidates will be expected to conduct high-quality research and publish the findings in top peer-reviewed journal(s).

Resources and Equipment

As part of the Department of Radiation Oncology, the postdoctoral research associate will have access to abundant resources, including the world’s first proton therapy center with pencil-beam scanning technology that is designated solely for treating pediatric cancer, a dual-energy CT scanner, state-of-the-art 1.5T and 3T MR scanners, and a digital PET/CT scanner with 4DCT capability, existing databases, and high-performance computing.

Eligibility and How to Apply

Applicants will have a PhD or DSc degree in medical physics, biomedical engineering, radiological sciences, particle physics or other relevant engineering or physical sciences. Candidates should have excellent writing and speaking skills and strong knowledge and experience in analytical and scientific programming, with a preference for experience in MATLAB, Python, and/or C++.

Contact Information

Ozgur Ates, PhD, DABR

Assistant Member

Department of Radiation Oncology

262 Danny Thomas Place

Memphis, TN 38105

E-mail: ozgur.ates@stjude.org

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has a diverse, global patient population and workforce, built on the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion. Our founder Danny Thomas envisioned a hospital that would treat children of the world—regardless of race, religion or a family’s ability to pay. Learn more about our history and commitment.

Today, we continue the mission to advance cures and means