Doctoral position in medical radiation physics

Doctoral Position in Medical Radiation Physics

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world's top universities. The University has around 46,000 students and 8,500 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg, and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain, and improve our world and the human condition.

At the Department of Medical Radiation Physics, both education and research are conducted across the various fields of medical radiation physics. The research group in Nuclear Medicine Physics has a particular focus on quantitative imaging and dosimetry for nuclear medicine therapies. The group maintains close collaboration with medical physicists and oncologists at Skåne University Hospital, and methods developed by the group are used to analyze data collected within clinical studies.

Within this framework, a doctoral studentship is now being advertised in the field of image-based activity quantification for therapeutic radio-pharmaceuticals.

As a doctoral student at Lund University, you are expected to complete a PhD programme, specified in your individual study plan. During your studies, you will be trained in a scientific approach. In short, you will be trained to think critically and analytically, to solve problems independently using the right methods, and to develop an awareness of research ethics. In addition, you will have the opportunity to work on projects, to develop your leadership and pedagogical skills.

Throughout your studies, you will be guided by supervisors. Doctoral studies end with a thesis defence and a doctoral degree.

The research group has extensive experience in developing methods for image-based quantification of activity and dosimetry in radionuclide therapies, with work in recent years largely focused on 177

Lu-labelled radiopharmaceuticals. The long-term objective is to enable dosimetry-guided treatments tailored to the individual patient. As part of this work, we seek to increase understanding of how motion during image acquisition affects the estimation of absorbed dose and how such effects can be managed. During your doctoral studies, you will follow the general syllabus for post-graduate education in the subject of Medical Radiation Physics.

The current version is:
General Syllabus in Medical Radiation Physics (a new general syllabus is expected to be formally adopted ahead of the autumn semester of 2026).

You will primarily devote yourself to your doctoral education, which mainly consists of participation in coursework and writing a doctoral thesis. In consultation with you, an individual study plan for your programme will be drawn up. As a doctoral student, you will develop and validate methods to extract motion information from SPECT examinations and to compensate for these effects during tomographic reconstruction.

This work entails an in-depth study of the theory of tomographic reconstruction, requiring a strong mathematical foundation and well-developed programming skills. Monte Carlo simulations of gamma cameras will constitute an important tool. Experimental work and the analysis of patient data may also be included. The research projects will be reported in the form of articles submitted for publication in scientific journals, and these will form part of the doctoral thesis.

In addition to studies, a maximum of 20% of working time may be spent on teaching and other departmental work. As part of this, you will participate in the teaching activities conducted within the department, typically by leading exercises or laboratory sessions.

To be eligible for admission and employment as a doctoral student, you must fulfil the requirements below.

A person meets the general admission requirements for third-cycle courses and study programmes if the applicant:

• has been awarded a second-cycle qualification, or
• has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second cycle, or
• has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

A person meets the specific admission requirements for third cycle studies in medical radiation physics if the applicant has:

• been awarded a degree in medical physics, or an equivalent foreign qualification, or
• completed another programme of higher education providing basic eligibility for doctoral studies (240 credits), within which courses amounting to at least 60 higher education credits are directly relevant to the doctoral education, and including the completion of an independent project (degree project) of at least 30 credits

The selection of eligible applicants will be made by taking into account the ability to benefit from the training, based on the following criteria:

• academic performance in courses at first-cycle and second-cycle level
• breadth, depth, and relevance of coursework at first-cycle and second-cycle level, including documented knowledge in nuclear medicine physics
• quality of the degree project and other…