PhD Position Imaging of rectal cancer – improving radiological diagnoses

Je werkt aan het verhogen van de nauwkeurigheid van MRI bij rectumkanker in het IMAGINE open innovation lab. Je werkt binnen een multidisciplinair team aan de ontwikkeling en implementatie van innovatieve beeldvormingstechnologieën die de patiëntenzorg verbeteren.

PhD Position Imaging of rectal cancer – improving radiological diagnoses

Dit ga je doen

Staging of rectal cancer needs precise delineation of the bowel wall and accurate identification of malignant lymph nodes to determine the optimal treatment strategy. Non-invasive imaging by MRI plays an important role in this evaluation already, but challenges related to e.g. bowel motion and the anatomy of the rectum remain.

As a researcher you will:

• Enhance the accuracy of imaging for local staging in rectal cancer through adopting higher resolution and robust MRI techniques.
• Run clinical pilot studies to optimize and evaluate high-resolution MRI of the bowel wall to assess early rectal cancer and/or recurrence using state-of-the-art MR technologies.
• Improve tumor classification and detection of invading tumor components by analyzing imaging features using radiomics/deep learning strategies.
• Collaborate closely with radiologists, gastroenterologists, technicians and engineers from academic (UMC Utrecht) and industry (Philips MRI) to translate technological innovations to opportunities to improve patient care.
• Conduct and publish high-quality scientific research, including studies on the clinical value of new MRI developments, AI applications in healthcare, and active participation in international conferences.

You will join an exciting multidisciplinary project that helps to identify patients that can be treated with a less invasive procedure, and provides accurate imaging follow-up, in order to optimize healthcare resources and minimize patient burden.

Hier ga je werken

You will work at the Center for Image Sciences and the Radiology Department of UMC Utrecht. You will join the ImagO PhD Programme and its active PhD community. Your PhD colleagues regularly organize academic and social activities, helping you settle into our environment quickly.

Your role is set in the IMAGINE Open Innovation Lab, a collaboration between multiple institutions and industry partners that integrates clinical expertise with engineering innovation.

Dit neem je mee

• You have a Master’s degree in a relevant field such as Technical Medicine, Medical Technology, Medical Imaging, Biomedical Engineering, or a related discipline.
• You are fluent in English and have a good command of Dutch, both written and spoken.
• You are eager to work in a clinical environment (Radiology) and collaborate closely with clinicians, technicians, engineers, and researchers.
• You have an ability to work collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams and communicate effectively across disciplines.
• You have experience with medical imaging acquisition technology and/or image data analysis.
• You are organized and have strong organizational, analytical and problem-solving skills.
• You are proactive, curious, and capable of working independently as well as in a multidisciplinary team.
• Preferably, you have good programming skills.
• You are in the possession of a BROK certificate or willing to obtain one.

Dit bieden we jou

• A position for a period of 4 years.
• Possibilities to develop yourself personally and professionally.