Postdoctoral Researcher in Medical Radiation Physics

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is consistently ranked as one of the world's leading universities. It has around 47,000 students and more than 8,800 employees in Lund, Helsingborg, and Malmö. We unite in our efforts to understand, explain, and improve our world and the conditions of people.

Lund University welcomes applicants with diverse backgrounds and experiences. Gender equality, equal opportunities, and diversity are fundamental principles for all parts of our operations.

Workplace Description

The Department of Medical Radiation Physics in Malmö is part of the Department of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine.

The department conducts research on, among other things, MRI, CT, mammography, nuclear medicine, radiation protection, and environmental radiology.

The Environmental Radiology Group at Medical Radiation Physics, Malmö has been conducting research for many years aimed at studying ionizing radiation in our environment and how radiation doses to humans and biota can be measured and calculated. A central part of this is the development and improvement of measurement methods for determining ionizing radiation to humans in connection with radiological and nuclear emergencies.

Project Description

The postdoctoral position is linked to a sub-project within a larger research project funded by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), focusing on preventive measures against the antagonistic use of hazardous substances in public environments. The project will particularly focus on the use of radioactive substances and the radiation protection issues that arise for the public and staff in connection with suspected dissemination of radioactivity. In collaboration with the Total Defence Research Institute, the postdoc will develop methods to demonstrate whether staff and the public in public environments have been exposed to ionizing radiation, and validate the model calculations to be developed by FOI using measurements from these detectors.

Responsibilities and Duties

At Lund University, a postdoctoral appointment should provide opportunities for scientific and pedagogical qualification. Primarily, space will be given for qualification in research, but some higher education pedagogical training may also be included. Teaching may also be part of the duties.

You will need to understand and interpret radiation dose calculations from FOI to materials and tissues, and translate these into theoretical detection limits for various radiation-sensitive sensors, primarily thermoluminescent detector materials such as Lithium Fluoride and Sodium Chloride. Based on these calculations, a number of suitable proposals for measurement methods will be developed that can be used for the reconstruction of radiation doses to the public and rescue personnel in antagonistic events involving radioactive substances.

Some teaching (mainly laboratory work for undergraduate students) and supervision of students may be included. You are also expected to participate to a limited extent in exercises and training within the national expert support for radiation protection preparedness.

Qualifications

Requirements for the position are:

• PhD or equivalent foreign degree in one or more of the following fields: medical radiation physics, nuclear physics, or technical physics. The PhD must be obtained by the time the employment decision is made
• good ability to develop and conduct high-quality research
• pedagogical skills
• good knowledge of ionizing radiation interactions
• good knowledge of radiation dosimetry
• very good ability to communicate in Swedish, both orally and in writing
• good organizational skills
• very good collaborative skills and experience working effectively in a multidisciplinary project group

Meritorious for the position are:

• the applicant has obtained their degree no more than three years before the application deadline
• experience working with personal dosimetry
• experience working with retrospective dosimetry
• experience with computer simulations of radiation particle transport in various materials and tissues
• experience publishing work in scientific journals
• interest in pedagogy and supervision
• good ability to communicate in English, both orally and in writing
• good ability to independently follow set timelines and deliver accordingly
• experience in interdisciplinary studies
• Driver's license BE

The assessment of applicants will primarily be based on their scientific merits and potential as researchers. Special emphasis will be placed on scientific ability within the subject area.

Conditions

The position is temporary for two years, 100%, with a start date by agreement, but no later than March 31, 2025. The employment is limited according to the agreement “Agreement on fixed-term employment as a postdoctoral researcher,” between the labor market parties (The Swedish Agency for Government Employers, OFR, Saco-S, and SEKO) dated 2022-01-01. Employment at Lund University is conducted in Sweden, and you are therefore expected to perform your work on-site in Malmö. Travel, especially to Umeå and Örebro, and to other Swedish universities will occur.

How to Apply

The position is applied for via the university's recruitment system. The application should include a personal letter explaining why you are interested in the position and how it matches your qualifications. The application should also include a CV and degree certificates as well as any other documents you wish to submit (copies of grades, references, etc.). The university applies individual salary setting. Please indicate your salary expectations in your application.

The Faculty of Medicine is an operational area within Lund University, responsible for education and research in medicine, care, and health. The education is conducted in close collaboration with healthcare and is well anchored in the faculty's strong research tradition. The faculty's research spans a wide field within experimental basic research, patient-centered clinical research, and health science research. The Faculty of Medicine, with over 1,800 employees and 2,700 students in Lund, Malmö, and Helsingborg, is an intensive knowledge meeting place for students, teachers, and researchers from around the world.

The Department of Translational Medicine is one of the six departments at Lund University's Faculty of Medicine. We conduct basic research in laboratory environments, patient-centered and clinical research, and also carry out epidemiological studies.

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