PhD on Right-time Adaptive Particle Therapy of CanceR

PhD on Right-time Adaptive Particle Therapy of CanceR

WO | 36 hours a week | Salary: €3.108 - €3.939

Closing date: February 8, 2026

About RAPTORplus

RAPTORplus is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network(MSCA-DN) training 18 doctoral candidates across a multidisciplinary and intersectoral programme spanning academia, clinics, and industry. Fellows gain hands-on experience with state-of-the-art particle therapy infrastructure and work directly on solutions designed to translate into clinical practice and commercial products.

Project

AI-Driven Robust Synthetic CT for Adaptive Proton Therapy

Department of Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, NL

Project description

Adaptive radiotherapy relies on accurate daily volumetric imaging to ensure precise dose delivery. While cone-beam CT (CBCT) and MRI are routinely used to monitor anatomical changes, they do not directly support reliable dose calculation. Deep learning–based synthetic CT (sCT) generation offers a promising alternative but is highly sensitive to variations in image quality introduced by hardware or software upgrades.

This PhD project focuses on the development of robust, AI-driven sCT models for adaptive proton therapy. The core of the work will involve deep learning method development, including transfer learning, fine-tuning strategies, and uncertainty-aware modeling to enable rapid revalidation of sCT models following imaging system changes. In parallel, the project will address medical physics aspects, evaluating how variations in sCT quality influence dose calculation accuracy, proton range robustness, and adaptive treatment workflows.

The project is embedded in a clinically relevant environment and offers interdisciplinary training at the interface of artificial intelligence, medical imaging, and radiation physics.

Candidate profile

We are seeking a highly motivated doctoral candidate with a strong academic background in physics, medical physics, biomedical engineering, computer science, or a related discipline, interested in radiotherapy applications. Data science, quantitative analysis, radiation physics and programming knowledge are desirable. A strong interest in medical imaging and/radiotherapy applications is a plus.

The PhD project is embedded in an interdisciplinary and international research environment within the RAPTORplus consortia and existing collaborations in the High Precision Radiotherapy Lab at UMCG. The doctoral candidate must be motivated to contribute to synthetic imaging development in a clinically driven research environment through collaboration with academic, clinical, and industrial partners.

The University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) is a leading academic hospital in the Netherlands, integrating patient care with high quality research and education in affiliation with the University of Groningen.

Planned secondments

Politecnico di Milano (Italy), Ion Beam Applications (Belgium) and RaySearch Laboratories (Sweden)

For more information

RAPTORplus - Project DC09 - RAPTOR Plus

Recruitment - RAPTOR Plus

For questions about the position

Any questions? Do contact us.

Prof. dr. Stefan Both head of Medical Physics

Applying for a job

Please use this digital application form - only these will be processed..
You can apply until 8 February 2026.