Two PhD Students-Doctoral Candidates (2 positions) MSCA Doctoral Network RAPTORplus – 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.
Job Details
* 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)
Responsibilities
* Conduct independent and collaborative research within the RAPTORplus framework.
* Interact closely with radiation oncologists, medical physicists, radiotherapy technologists and industry partners.
* Present your work at RAPTORplus 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 HollandPTC (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.
Background – RAPTORplus
RAPTORplus (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.
Key Research Goals (DC3 – joint PSI–Erasmus MC PhD)
* 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.
Your Profile
* 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 interest in health‑economic modelling.
* Experience with costing methods, decision‑analytic modelling, or biostatistics is a strong asset.
* Interest in workflow optimisation, automation and scripting in a radiotherapy/proton‑therapy environment.
* Enjoy working at the interface of technology, clinical workflows and health policy/insurer perspectives.
* Experience or interest in applying AI / machine learning to healthcare workflows, prediction models or decision‑support tools.
Benefits
* A fully funded PhD position in a leading proton therapy centre with access to state‑of‑the‑art clinical and research infrastructure.
* Integration into the RAPTORplus Doctoral Network, including network‑wide training camps and online courses, secondments to academic, clinical and industrial partners, and opportunities for collaboration and co‑authorship across Europe.
* A joint PSI–Erasmus MC PhD project, typically ~2 years at PSI (Villigen) and ~2 years at Erasmus MC (Rotterdam).
* Employment initially at PSI (SERI funding) with a final period at Erasmus MC.
* Enrolment in the Erasmus MC PhD programme with joint supervision from PSI and Erasmus MC.
* Attractive employment conditions and modern on‑site infrastructure, with support for combining work and family life.
Application and Contact
Please submit your application online via the RAPTORplus Recruitment Portal (as described on the RAPTORplus website), indicating clearly whether you are applying for
• DC6 – Paediatric OAPT
• DC3 – Workflow & Health Economics
• or both positions.
Your application should include:
• a cover letter specifying your motivation and preferred position(s)
• a CV (with list of publications, if any)
• degree certificates and transcripts (Bachelor and Master)
• contact details of two referees (or reference letters, if already available).
Priority will be given to applications received by 15 January 2026.
For further information, please contact:
Dr Francesca Albertini
Senior Medical Physicist & PI of the Adaptive Therapy Program
Center for Proton Therapy, Paul Scherrer Institute
Phone: +41 56 310 52 39
E‑mail: Francesca.Albertini@psi.ch
Paul Scherrer Institute, Human Resources Management, Forschungsstrasse 111, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland.
#J-18808-Ljbffr