Two PhD Students-Doctoral ; MSCA Doctoral Network RAPTORplus – Right-tim

Two PhD Students-Doctoral Candidates (2 positions) MSCA Doctoral Network RAPTOR plus – Right-time Adaptive Proton Therapy

The Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) is the largest research institute for natural and engineering sciences in Switzerland. PSI conducts cutting-edge research in future technologies, energy and climate, health innovation, and fundamentals of nature, and it is a pioneer in proton therapy. PSI employs 2,300 people and has an active clinical program for proton beam therapy.

• Doctoral position
• Job reference: 1720‑25818
• Full-time: 100 %
• Contract length: 4 years (2 years at PSI, 2 years at Erasmus MC)
• Funding:
  Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI)

• Conduct independent and collaborative research within the RAPTOR plus framework.
• Interact closely with radiation oncologists, medical physicists, radiotherapy technologists and industry partners.
• Present your work at RAPTOR plus training events, international conferences and peer‑reviewed journals.
• Participate in network-wide training camps, online courses and secondments.
• Map current and future OAPT workflows at PSI, Erasmus MC and Holland
  
  PTC (process‑mapping, time‑stamping, resource use).
• Design and implement semi‑automated and automated modules (scripts, software tools) to streamline daily image processing, contouring, plan adaptation and approval.
• Evaluate plan‑quality vs efficiency trade‑offs for strategies such as hypofractionation, reduced beams/spots and mixed photon–proton courses.
• Develop and apply costing and cost‑effectiveness models for OAPT vs conventional PT, including scenario analyses for different tumour sites and indication–strategy pairs.
• Work with health‑economists, insurers and patient organisations to incorporate preferences and acceptable incremental costs into a multi‑criteria decision‑support framework.

RAPTOR plus (Right‑time Adaptive Particle Therapy) is a Marie Skłodowska‑Curie Doctoral Network that will train 18 doctoral candidates across Europe to bring Online Adaptive Proton Therapy (OAPT) into routine clinical use. The network brings together leading proton therapy centres, universities and industry partners to make OAPT workflows efficient, robust and affordable; advance imaging and verification technologies; and integrate biomarkers and health‑economic considerations for right‑time adaptation and personalised care.

• Investigate strategies to speed up treatment delivery (e.g. reducing number of beams/spots, optimized dose‑rate, hypofractionation, triggered adaptation) while preserving plan quality and safety.
• Build and apply a cost model for OAPT, using time‑driven activity‑based costing and health‑economic methods to quantify the impact of automation and different clinical strategies on treatment‑room time, staff use, cost per patient, cost‑effectiveness, centre throughput and workflow robustness.
• Integrate patient & public preferences (e.g. willingness to accept longer sessions vs fewer visits, reduced toxicity, travel distance) and insurer/regulator perspectives into a multi‑criteria decision‑support tool for cost‑effective use of OAPT.

• MSc degree in physics, biomedical engineering, software engineering or related studies.
• OR health economics, health sciences with quantitative and analytical orientation.
• Less than 4 years of full‑time research experience (after obtaining the Master’s degree) at the time of recruitment.
• Fulfil the European MSCA mobility rule: you must not have resided or carried out your main activity in Switzerland for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before your recruitment date.
• Fluency in English (oral and written, C1 level).
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills and the ability to work independently.
• High motivation to pursue research excellence in proton therapy and adaptive radiotherapy.
• Good communication skills and enjoyment of interdisciplinary, international teamwork.
• Programming skills and interest (e.g. Python, MATLAB, C++) and experience with scientific computing or data analysis.
• Background in health economics or physics/engineering with…