PhD Student in Medical Physics (12591-RE-211-2025)

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PhD Student in Medical Physics

The Institute of Radiation Physics (IRA) is looking for a PhD student to work in the field of VHEE-FLASH radiotherapy.

Contexte

The Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) is one of five Swiss university hospitals. Through its collaboration with the Faculty of Biology and Medicine of the University of Lausanne and the EPFL, CHUV plays a leading role in the areas of medical care, medical research and training.

The Institute of Radiation Physics (IRA), part of radiology department of the University Hospital (CHUV) and the University of Lausanne (UNIL), develops its activities in the fields of ionizing radiation in medicine (medical physics) and the protection of workers and the public against ionizing radiation (health physics).

An emerging radiotherapy approach is the use of Very High Energy Electrons (VHEE) as an alternative to conventional X-ray beams. The unique physical properties of VHEE suggest that this modality may enable more effective tumour eradication and/or a substantial reduction in severe radiation-induced side effects. Furthermore, growing evidence indicates that irradiation at ultrahigh dose rates can spare normal tissues while maintaining tumour control. This phenomenon, known as the FLASH effect, is currently the focus of intense research aimed at translating FLASH radiotherapy (FLASH-RT) into clinical practice.

Mission

The PhD student will conduct a research project in the field of VHEE-FLASH radiotherapy, a collaboration between CHUV, Erasmus MC (Rotterdam), and Delft University of Technology. The project, entitled ‘Exploration and Optimization of Very High-Energy Electron Beam Therapy – A Promising New Cancer Treatment Modality’, is funded by the Dutch Research Council for a period of five years.

Building on and extending the tools developed in Rotterdam and Delft, the PhD student will optimize and evaluate the performance of VHEE-FLASH radiotherapy in comparison with standard-of-care modalities. The research will focus on developing solutions that are compatible with ultrafast dose delivery on FLASH time scales, while minimizing both the loss of dosimetric conformity and the technical complexity of VHEE-FLASH systems. Furthermore, the student will assess novel delivery concepts by jointly optimizing VHEE dose distributions and exploiting the potential FLASH effect.

The project will be carried out at CHUV within the framework of the doctoral school of UNIL. It involves close collaboration with a PhD candidate at TU Delft working on dose computation, and a PhD candidate at Erasmus MC Cancer Institute focusing on conventional dose rate VHEE radiotherapy. In addition, a collaboration with CERN will enable experimental VHEE measurements.

Profil

You have :

• Master’s degree in physics or equivalent.
• Strong motivation and interest in research.
• Proficiency in scripting and programming (python, etc.).
• Solid skills in analysis, optimization, and problem solving.
• Nimble-mindedness, rigorous, proactive, independent, organization and time-management.
• Sense of collaboration, good communication skills, and ability to synthesize complex information; Adaptable to irregular schedules.
• Knowledge of radiation therapy and treatment planning (TPS) is an asset.
• Working language: French or English.
• Strong scientific writing skills in English.

If you are interested in a new challenge that offers competitive wage conditions (above EUR 3000.— net salary per month), do not hesitate to send us your application documents (with an application letter, CV, 2 referees, certificates and copies of degrees and grades).

Nous offrons

To become an employee of the world-famous University Hospital Center from the Canton of Vaud is an assurance of:

• First-rate social benefits such as a Paternity Leave of 20 days and a Maternity Leave of 4 months (there is also the possibility to obtain a complementary breastfeeding leave of 1 month)
• A right to at least three days of training per year, by accessing a wide offer of courses not only from the CHUV Training Center but also from external providers
• Possibility to access one of the 500 furnished apartments offered in the surrounding neighborhoods in case of relocation in Switzerland
• Discounts proposed on social and cultural events, goodies and other services, thanks to the “H-Oxygène” association
• Signing up to our Mobility Plan and benefit from different advantages (discounts on public transportation, promotion of “Mobility” car fleet and discounts on electric bikes)
• Being able to enjoy our high-quality corporate restaurants, located in every hospital building, with employees’ discount.

Contact et envoi de candidature

Contact person in case of questions about this role : M. Raphaël Moeckli, tél : 141 21 314.46.18 / E-Mail schreiben

All of our applications are processed electronically. For this reason, we kindly ask you to apply exclusively by clicking on the APPLY button at the bottom of the advertisement.

Should you experience any problems with your application, you can consult our document "how to apply online". In case of technical issues, you can contact our Recruitment team who will help you (E-Mail schreiben / +41 21 314 85 70)

The CHUV applies the highest quality requirements as part of its recruitment process. In addition, mindful to promote workplace diversity and inclusion we strive to ensure equal treatment and avoid any discrimination. We are looking forward to receiving your application.

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