PhD position on high precision proton therapy for thoracic tumors

Do you have affinity with medical physics research, and are you interested in working on technical solutions close to the clinic? Join a national research collaboration and contribute to technical developments that will further enhance proton therapy treatments for tumors in the thorax.

You will be part of the PROTHORAC project team, a research collaboration between the three Dutch proton therapy (PT) centers (HollandPTC, Maastro and UMCG) and affiliated universities, funded by KWF Kankerbestrijding.

The overall aim is to develop technical methods to significantly reduce radiation dose to surrounding healthy tissue, while maintaining tumor coverage and increasing treatment efficiency. The expected outcome will be an efficient workflow for precise PT which, when clinically implemented, will reduce radiation-induced side effects.

The project aims to develop the following technical solutions:

1. Develop and clinically evaluate reproducible breath-holding and regularized shallow breathing assisted by mechanical ventilation (Maastro);
2. Develop and implement probabilistic treatment planning to mitigate residual uncertainties more effectively (HollandPTC);
3. Develop and evaluate fast, precise, and efficient automated dose-guided patient positioning (UMCG);
4. Test the proposed solutions in a single workflow in a prospective in-silico feasibility trial (all sites).

The project hosts 3 PhD candidates, each located at one of the PT centers. Close collaboration between the PROTHORAC project PhD candidates is essential and will be accommodated through reciprocal site visits.

PhD position at HollandPTC

At HollandPTC and in close collaboration with TU Delft, LUMC and Erasmus MC, you will develop probabilistic treatment planning for lung and esophageal tumors to effectively mitigate the negative impact of treatment uncertainties remaining with respiratory motion management and dose-guided patient setup, developed by the other PT centers. To that end, your tasks are to:

1. Develop a methodology to probabilistically evaluate the robustness of treatment plans for lung and esophageal tumors.
2. Create practical treatment planning solutions that generate treatment plans fulfilling probabilistic goals.
3. Develop probabilistic treatment plans for the in-silico prospective trial.
4. Develop probabilistic treatment plan evaluation methods for adaptive proton therapy.

About HollandPTC

HollandPTC, located in Delft, is an independent outpatient center for proton therapy care and research. Together with its founders and research partners Erasmus MC, LUMC and TU Delft, HollandPTC forms an active research consortium.

Qualifications and skills

You are a highly motivated candidate with a master’s degree in (Applied) Physics or Mathematics, Technical Medicine, Biomedical Engineering, or a related discipline. You are able to translate complex theoretical concepts into practical processes and guidelines. As you will be part of a multi-disciplinary team, good communication skills are essential. You are ambitious, results-driven and an excellent team player. Excellent technical skills as well as academic writing and presentation skills in English are required. You are enthusiastic about solving a problem via programming (Matlab, Python, and C/C++), and interested in mathematical modelling.

Being able to present a certificate of good conduct is a condition for the appointment.

What we offer

In addition to a challenging and educational position, we offer:

• A temporary position for 4 years
• A gross monthly salary of € 3.108 in the 1^st year and increases to € 3.939 in the 4^th year (scale OIO)
• An inspiring working environment where your contribution truly matters
• Excellent employment conditions, including:
  • travel allowance of €0.23 per kilometre or full public transport reimbursement
  • 8% holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%
  • option to participate in a disability insurance scheme at a favorable premium
  • employment under the UMC collective labor agreement (CAO UMC)
• Start date: July 2026

More information

For more information about this position, please contact Prof. dr. M. Hoogeman (+31 6 2485 1534 or m.hoogeman@hollandptc.nl).

How to apply

Send your motivation and CV before 26 March 2026 to Mischa Hoogeman, via recruitment@hollandptc.nl with subject “PhD position on high precision proton therapy for thoracic tumors”.

Please note that the first round of interviews will take place in week 15.