项目介绍

2024年10月16日

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Doctoral position in Medical Science

Project title: Enhancing internal bone marrow dosimetry

The Department of Medical Radiation Sciences is located at the Institute of Clinical Sciences at the Faculty of Medicine at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg. 

General information about being a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg can be found on the university’s doctoral student pages https://www.gu.se/en/doctoral-studies

Duties   

Doctoral education in Medical Science comprises carrying out a scientific project and completing at least 30 credits of courses at third-cycle level. The doctoral student must also write a scientific compilation thesis or monograph corresponding to at least 120 credits. For more information about third-cycle studies at Sahlgrenska Academy, see https://www.gu.se/en/sahlgrenska-akademin/doctoral-studies

Project: Bone marrow is recognized as the organ most vulnerable to irradiation, with potential outcomes ranging from acute hematological toxicity, to stochastic effects including cancer. Despite these risks, our understanding of predictive models and risk estimates for bone marrow irradiation remains limited. This gap is partly due to the absence of dosimetry models that accurately reflect the intricate architecture of the bone marrow. This complexity becomes especially pertinent in scenarios involving internal irradiation, through the administration of radiopharmaceuticals for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. In such instances, a detailed understanding of the activity distribution and irradiation pattern within the bone marrow is crucial for precise dosimetry and risk estimation of hematological toxicities.

This PhD project aims to bridge these gaps by developing an enhanced internal dosimetry model specifically tailored for the bone marrow, focusing on the internal distribution of radionuclides and radiopharmaceuticals. The PhD project is organized around four key objectives to enhance the understanding and predictive accuracy of a complex internal dosimetry model for hematological toxicities. Initially, it will analyze trabecular bone and spongiosa tissue variations using micro-CT and histological examinations, employing our research imaging platform and MATLAB-based AI to construct the bone marrow structure. Monte Carlo simulations will calculate mean absorbed doses for various radionuclides. The second phase focuses on detailing the cellular structure of red marrow and blood vessels via immunohistology, integrating this data into a bone marrow anatomy model for dose calculations at cellular and sub-cellular levels. The third phase will explore the stochastic effects of low-activity irradiation on bone marrow, aiming to understand its impact on stochastic biological effects. Finally, our collection of hematological toxicity data from various clinical trials with radiopharmaceuticals will be used to evaluate the novel bone marrow model’s ability to enhance the predictive power of hematological toxicities compared to existing models. 

Doctoral studies comprises four years of full-time study, and leads to a doctoral degree.  As part of your employment as a doctoral student, you may have departmental duties corresponding to up to 20 % of full-time employment, distributed throughout your study period, and result in a corresponding extension of the studies. Departmental duties usually consist of teaching at first- and second-cycle levels, but may also include research and administration.    

Eligibility   

Doctoral education requires general eligibility and, where appropriate, specific eligibility as set out in the general syllabus for the subject.  

The general eligibility requirements for doctoral studies are:    

1. having completed a degree at second-cycle level, or
2. the fulfilment of course requirements totalling at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits must be at second-cycle level, or  
3. the acquisition of equivalent knowledge in some other way, either in Sweden or abroad. 

Specific entry requirements for this subject, according to the general syllabus, are:

having successfully completed the English B/6 course or is considered to have acquired equivalent knowledge through previous studies. 

Assessment criteria    

The selection of applicants who meet the basic and specific eligibility requirements will be based on the ability to assimilate the doctoral studies. The assessment shall attach particular importance to documented qualifications for:

– specific knowledge and skills within the subject area and related research fields
– experience of scientific theory and relevant research methodology
– scientific analysis and presentation verified through an academic paper, degree project, scientific
journals or the like.

Documented experience of working with imaging software and analysis of nuclear medicine images, as well as programming skills in MATLAB is advantageous. Knowledge of radiation and radiation dose calculations for radiopharmaceuticals, as well as knowledge of image reconstruction methods is desirable.

Employment   

Once you have been admitted to doctoral studies, you will be employed as a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg. The provisions for employment as a doctoral student can be found in ordinance SFS 1993:100. Initial employment as a doctoral student may apply for a maximum of one year, and may be renewed by a maximum of two years at a time. A doctoral student may be employed as a doctoral student for a maximum of eight years, but the total period of employment may not be longer than the equivalent of full-time education at doctoral level for four years.   

Location: Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Department of Medical Radiation Sciences. Extent: 100%. First day of employment: as agreed.

The University applies a local agreement on salaries for doctoral students.   

Contact information 

For more information about the project please contact:

Principal supervisor Peter Bernhardt, Professor, Institute of Clinical Sciences,
e-mail: peter.bernhardt@gu.se 

Assistant supervisor Jens Hemmingsson, Institute of Clinical Sciences,
phone: +46 76 768 35 43, e-post: jens.hemmingsson@phonsa.gu.se

Unions 

Union representatives at the University of Gothenburg can be found here:   
https://www.gu.se/om-universitetet/jobba-hos-oss/hjalp-for-sokande    

Application   

You can apply to be admitted to doctoral education via the University of Gothenburg’s recruitment portal. It is your responsibility to ensure that the application is complete as per this notice, and that the University receives it by the final application deadline.   

You must include the following, in pdf format

• Personal letter
• CV
• Diploma and transcripts showing that you meet with the general entry requirement
• Proof of completion of English 6 course or the acquired equivalent knowledge through previous studies

If your degree is from a university outside of Sweden, make sure that you attach a diploma and full transcripts that makes assessing your degree easier.  

If your degree has not been verified by a Swedish authority you need to provide contact details to the issuing university, registrar or similar, that can verify the degree at our request.

For information on what you need to submit in order to fulfill the English language requirement see https://www.universityadmissions.se/en/entry-requirements/english-language-requirements/

Applications must be received by: 2024-11-04

Information for International Applicants 

Choosing a career in a foreign country is a big step. Thus, to give you a general idea of what we and Gothenburg have to offer in terms of benefits and life in general for you and your family/spouse/partner please visit: 

https://www.gu.se/en/about-the-university/welcome-services 
https://www.movetogothenburg.com/