PhD Position in Medical Physics – Personalized Dosimetry for Lu-PSMA Therapy

Closing date: October 6

Your Role

• Contribute to the design and execution of this exploratory clinical study.
• Collect and analyze multimodal patient data, including PET/CT, SPECT/CT, blood samples, and bone biopsies.
• Perform image-based dosimetry at the lesion level, using state-of-the-art quantitative methods.
• Develop predictive models linking biodata with absorbed dose and radiological response (including AI models).
• Collaborate closely with clinicians, physicists, and translational researchers in a highly multidisciplinary setting.

This is a unique opportunity to work at the cutting edge of medical physics, oncology, and imaging science, contributing directly to the future of personalized radionuclide therapy.

About the Project

This PhD position is part of a KWF-funded Young Investigator Grant led by Dr. Oleksandra Ivashchenko. Radionuclide therapy (RNT) is rapidly emerging as a powerful tool in oncology, offering new hope for patients with advanced cancers. Among these, [177Lu]Lu-PSMA therapy has shown particular promise in prolonging survival for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). However, the way it is currently administered follows a “one-size-fits-all” approach. Every patient receives essentially the same treatment schedule, regardless of the characteristics of their disease, their biology, or the absorbed radiation dose delivered to individual lesions and healthy organs. This lack of personalization creates major challenges:

• We do not yet fully understand the dose-response relationship at the level of individual metastases.
• Current dosimetry approaches rely on retrospective imaging after treatment, making it impossible to predict dose or adapt treatment plans in real time.
• Without predictive models, clinicians cannot balance maximizing tumour control while minimizing toxicity to healthy tissues.

This PhD project addresses these challenges by developing a biodata-driven dosimetry framework. The study will combine advanced imaging (PET/CT, SPECT/CT), biodata (blood samples, tumour biopsies), and molecular tumour biology to link absorbed dose in individual lesions with treatment response. By studying more than 180 lesions in over 50 patients, the project will provide unprecedented insight into lesion-specific responses and allow us to identify biomarkers and predictive factors that correlate with absorbed dose. Ultimately, the project aims to create a proof-of-concept predictive dosimetry model that can be used before treatment begins. This will pave the way toward personalized RNT — transforming [177Lu]Lu-PSMA therapy from a palliative intervention into a potentially curative and individually optimized treatment strategy.

Candidate Profile

We are looking for a motivated candidate with:

• A Master’s degree in Medical Physics, Biomedical Engineering, Physics, Nuclear Medicine, or a related field.
• Strong interest in quantitative imaging, dosimetry, and oncology.
• Experience with programming, image analysis, or biostatistics (advantageous).
• Good communication skills (incl. proficiency in English) and ability to work in a multidisciplinary team.
• Eligibility for admission to the Graduate School of Medical Sciences, University of Groningen.

What we offer

• A full-time contract (36 hours per week) for 4 years in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for University Medical Centers (CAO-UMC).
• Appointment in the PhD salary scale (min. € 3.108 to max. € 3.939 gross per month, depending on candidate’s experience).
• An annual personal development budget for training, courses, and international conference participation.
• Attractive career development opportunities through the Graduate School of Medical Sciences.
• A chance to work on an exciting and innovative project with strong clinical impact, contributing to the personalization of prostate cancer treatment.

Why Join Us?

The Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (NGMB) at UMCG is one of the leading nuclear medicine departments in the Netherlands. With its own cyclotron, in-house radiopharmaceutical production laboratories, and state-of-the-art equipment (including three PET-CT scanners such as the Siemens Vision Quadra total-body PET-CT, and two SPECT-CT scanners), the department covers the full spectrum of nuclear diagnostics, radionuclide therapy, and research. In addition to clinical facilities, the department also has access to preclinical PET, CT, and MRI systems, supporting translational research from bench to bedside. NGMB plays a major role in the training of medical specialists, clinical physicists, and biomedical engineers, with a dedicated Medical Imaging track at the University of Groningen. Together with the Department of Radiology, NGMB forms the Medical Imaging Center (MIC) of UMCG, an international hub for high-quality patient care, education, and cutting-edge research. You will join a dynamic team of about 100 staff members, including many PhD candidates, postdocs, and clinicians. The working environment is collaborative, international, and multidisciplinary, with strong partnerships across academia and industry both in the Netherlands and abroad. This position offers you the chance to grow as a researcher while directly impacting the future of personalized cancer care.

First-round interviews will take place on October 29 or 30, 2025.

Sasha Ivashchenko clinical physicist