PhD Candidate in PET/CT for infection and inflammation

Do you wish to join the new Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action Doctoral Network PREFERENCE and help us make a transformative difference in the field of molecular imaging? Then, apply to join the Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, who is one of the partners of PREFERENCE and work on the topic of detection of early-stage infection and inflammation.

Your role:
You will pursue research towards the project under the supervision of three Professors: Charalampos Tsoumpas, Andor Glaudemans, Riemer Slart and Joyce van Sluis. You will also have an international coach from the University of Turku and a business coach from Siemens Healthineers. Furthermore, you will participate in training activities, undertake secondments with European academic institutions and industries and collaborate closely with the other 14 PhD candidates of the network. You will register for a PhD with the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Groningen and your work is expected to lead to conference presentations, peer-reviewed journal articles, open-source software, patent applications and eventually in clinical products.

Work environment

The University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) is one of the largest and innovative academic hospitals in the Netherlands and the largest employer in the Northern Netherlands. In addition to providing clinical care, it is a constituent member of the University of Groningen with much focus on core research, training, and education. The Department of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging as part of UMCG has international reputation for its state-of-the-art infrastructure and front-end research activities together with its internal and external collaborations. The Department has installed a Siemens Biograph Vision Quadra PET/CT scanner, one of the total 14 such scanners available in the network and has a strategic high-profile collaboration with Siemens Healthineers. As part of the project, you are expected to have one-month secondments with Aarhus University Hospital (Denmark), the Turku PET center (Finland) and CollectiveMinds (Sweden).

At least as important as a pleasant working environment is a pleasant living environment. Groningen is a thriving university city set in quiet, spacious surroundings.

What do we ask

You should be a creative and passionate researcher with a BSc and MSc degrees in Physics, Medical Physics, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computational Engineering. Excellent communication skills, proof of excellent command of the English language (e.g., IELTS or TOEFL, English language requirements, passion in using new technologies and an innovative mindset are essential. Knowledge of C++, python and ability to perform experiments will be considered advantageous.

What do we offer

We offer one PhD position to join an enthusiastic network of experts. The full-time (36 hours/week) contract will be for three years with starting date not earlier than the 1st of October 2026 and ideally not later than 31st of March 2027. Your indicative starting salary (36 hours/week) is a minimum of € 3.217,- gross per month. In addition, you will receive 8% holiday pay, and 8.3% end-of-year bonus. A reduced taxation scheme may apply for some candidates. The conditions of employment comply with the Collective Labour Agreement for Medical Centres (CAO-UMC). An appropriate career development program for the individual will be available.

Important remarks

• The research project is only tentatively approved. In the unlikely event of no collaboration agreement being completed by all involved parties, the project may be cancelled or delayed substantially.
• Due to strictly applied employment conditions imposed by the awarded EU grant scheme, the candidate must not have resided in the Netherlands for longer than 12 months within the preceding 36 months period prior to their appointment commencement date.

For questions about the position

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