Postdoctoral Position in Medical Imaging and Image-Guided Radiation Therapy

The Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine is seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral fellow to perform cutting-edge research in image-guided radiation therapy. The project will involve using multi-modality images (CT, CBCT, MRI, electromagnetic tracking) and clinical software in radiation therapy to develop patient-specific physiological models that can be used in radiation treatment planning to better target the tumor and better spare post-treatment function.

Qualifications and Skills

Ph.D. in Medical Physics, Bioengineering, Physics, Mathematics, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or a related field is required. Expertise required in one or more of the following areas: strong background in algorithm development, medical image processing, mathematical modeling, machine learning/AI. Also required are strong scientific programming skills in one or more of the following platforms C++, Python, CUDA. Basic knowledge of radiation therapy is desired but not required. The candidate should demonstrate a strong track record and motivation for research, along with excellent oral and written scientific communication skills.

Training and Career Path

This is a 2-3 year, full-time, mentored research position under the mentorship of Dr. Amit Sawant, Professor and Vice Chair for Medical Physics. The successful candidate will receive regular mentorship and evaluation, and will be trained and required to disseminate research findings in major national conferences and peer-reviewed publications. Fellows will have the option to enroll in the department’s CAMPEP-approved Medical Physics Graduate Certificate program with a tuition waiver. Details of the program may be found at the following link: https://www.graduate.umaryland.edu/MedicalPhysics/ .

Successfully completing the certificate program will render the candidate eligible for medical physics residency training and enable them to pursue a career as a clinical medical physicist. Medical physicists are well-paid and stable professionals, and they are the only non-MD professionals certified by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). More information about a clinical medical physics career can be found on the following website: https://w3.aapm.org/medical_physicist/index.php

Research Lab and Environment

The new member will work under the supervision of Dr. Amit Sawant, Professor and Vice Chair for Medical Physics at the University of Maryland. Dr. Sawant’s lab has a robust research program in imaging and precision radiation therapy, with multiple active federal and industrial grants. Resources include high-performance computing facilities including a GPU server with high-end A100 GPUs and a dedicated research GPU-based Eclipse treatment planning environment. In addition, the Department has state-of-the-art radiotherapy systems including Varian Truebeam and Edge linacs, a multi-vault Varian ProBeam proton therapy center, Raysearch and Eclipse treatment planning systems, CBCT, Siemens 1.5T and 3T MRI scanners, and two small animal IGRT platforms. The Department also has a successful track record of commercialization of research products.

Ph.D. in Medical Physics, Bioengineering, Physics, Mathematics, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or a related field is required. Expertise required in one or more of the following areas: strong background in algorithm development, medical image processing, mathematical modeling, machine learning/AI. Also required are strong scientific programming skills in one or more of the following platforms C++, Python, CUDA. Basic knowledge of radiation therapy is desired but not required. The candidate should demonstrate a strong track record and motivation for research, along with excellent oral and written scientific communication skills.