Position Summary

The Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Radiation Oncology has an opening for a post-doctoral research associate in the Division of Medical Physics. Individuals interested in pursuing an academic research career or a career in medical physics are encouraged to apply.

Department of Radiation Oncology has a long history of productive research collaborations with the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, the internationally well-established leader of medical imaging, within the Washington University in St Louis. Through the projects, the successful candidate will directly collaborate with and be mentored by several world renown experts of MRI neuroimaging within the WashU community.

Training opportunities in preparation for a medical physics residency are available in the department for qualified and interested candidates through a CAMPEP-accredited post-graduate certification program.

Projects will include:

• Developing brain network analysis techniques to quantify subject-specific radiation induced brain injuries and radiation dose response patterns across different brain regions, and to further carry out functional imaging guided advanced brain radiation therapy.
• Developing machine-learning algorithms based on multi-modality quantitative MRI data, proteomics, genomics data to improve assessment of treatment response of primary and secondary brain tumors.

Department of Radiation Oncology at the Washington University in St Louis has a well-established long tradition of being the field pioneer of technical innovation for advanced radiation therapy, including the first MR-linac system and the first Ethos system for adaptive therapy, the first single-gantry proton treatment system and the first radiation treatment of ventricular tachycarida. The department supports a state-of-the-art clinic located at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Siteman Cancer Center, as well as several clinical affiliates. Clinical resources include numerous linear accelerators, very busy brachytherapy services with two HDR remote afterloaders, MR-IGRT (including one ViewRay MR-linac and one 1.5T Philps MRI simulator with HIFU capability), Varian Ethos, a proton center, a GammaKnife, Varian Edge SRS/SBRT system, and a spectrum of imaging devices.

The medical physics division currently has over 40 ABR certified medical physicists, including over 30 faculty positions, supporting our clinical operations, research, and educational activities. The division has over 60 other members consisting of medical physics assistants, QA technicians, residents, post-doctoral fellows, graduate students, and staff. The clinic is supported by an active software development team. The institution is firmly committed to advancing the field of radiation therapy by actively pursuing novel clinical/research projects and investing in our faculty and in cutting-edge technology. Several development projects are underway including ongoing partnerships with industry to develop next-generation treatment processes and devices, and there are numerous other government, industry, and department funded research projects.

The department supports several education programs, including the longest-standing CAMPEP accredited medical physics residency, a CAMPEP-accredited post-graduate certification program, and a recently-formed Ph.D program in Medical Physics. Research infrastructure and funding are diverse and the research support resources are outstanding. The department offers highly productive collaboration opportunities with our clinical and cancer biology colleagues as well as university wide collaboration opportunities across various departments in the medical and other schools. There are currently several significant international projects and collaborations.

Consistent with its academic mission and standards, the Washington University School of Medicine is committed to achieving excellence through diversity. As a community of faculty, staff and students engaged in research, patient care, scholarship, teaching and learning, the School of Medicine fosters an environment that is diverse and welcoming. Efforts are made to provide a supportive environment in which people from a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures may encounter each other in a spirit of cooperation, openness and mutual respect.

Information on being a postdoc at Washington University in St. Louis can be found at https://postdoc.wustl.edu/prospective-postdocs-2/ .

Required Qualifications

Ph.D., M.D. or equivalent terminal or doctoral degree.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ph.D. in medical physics, physics, engineering, computer science, statistics or a related field.
• Interested in developing and applying quantitative MR neuroimaging techniques to guide radiation therapy planning, delivery, and assessment of brain tumors.
• Possess a strong background in MR neuroimaging, or in image analysis and scientific programming.
• Strong background in neuroimaging analyses, including image analysis, image registration and/or image segmentation.
• Experience in advanced MR neuroimaging analysis of functional MRI and diffusion tensor MRI.
• Strong scientific programming skills in Matlab and Python or C/C++ along with familiarity with neuroimage analysis tools such as FSL and SPM.
• Experience in machine learning, artificial intelligence, and/or computer vision.
• Ability and interest in working in small, interdisciplinary teams with other technical scientists and clinicians.
• Good communication and writing skills.

Working Conditions

This position works in a laboratory environment with potential exposure to biological and chemical hazards. The individual must be physically able to wear protective equipment and to provide standard care to research animals.

Salary Range

Base pay is commensurate with experience.

Applicant Special Instructions

Interested candidates should send a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and three names of referees to Dr. Tong Zhu at zhut@wustl.edu .

Pre-Employment Screening
All external candidates receiving an offer for employment will be required to submit to pre-employment screening for this position. The screenings will include criminal background check and, as applicable for the position, other background checks, drug screen, an employment and education or licensure/certification verification, physical examination, certain vaccinations and/or governmental registry checks. All offers are contingent upon successful completion of required screening.

Benefits Statement
Washington University in St. Louis is committed to providing a comprehensive and competitive benefits package to our employees. Benefits eligibility is subject to employment status, full-time equivalent (FTE) workload, and weekly standard hours. Please visit our website at https://hr.wustl.edu/benefits/ to view a summary of benefits.

EEO/AA Statement
Washington University in St. Louis is committed to the principles and practices of equal employment opportunity and especially encourages applications by those from underrepresented groups. It is the University’s policy to provide equal opportunity and access to persons in all job titles without regard to race, ethnicity, color, national origin, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, protected veteran status, or genetic information.

Diversity Statement
Washington University is dedicated to building a diverse community of individuals who are committed to contributing to an inclusive environment – fostering respect for all and welcoming individuals from diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. Individuals with a commitment to these values are encouraged to apply.