PhD student - Modelling cardiac and immune system toxicity

Job Information

Organisation/Company: The Netherlands Cancer Institute
Research Field: Medical sciences
Physics
Researcher Profile: Recognised Researcher (R2)
First Stage Researcher (R1)
Country: Netherlands
Application Deadline: 25 Mar 2024 - 22:59 (UTC)
Type of Contract: Temporary
Job Status: Not Applicable
Hours Per Week: 36.0
Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?: Not funded by an EU programme
Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?: No

Offer Description

Poor survival after radiation treatment for lung cancer patients has recently started to focus on cardiac toxicity and toxicity of the immune system. Several studies have shown that higher doses to the heart (1), as well as higher doses to the immune system (2) are correlated to poorer survival. The exact cause of the poorer survival for patients receiving higher cardiac or immune system doses is unknown, and requires a large dataset to disentangle the two effects. Gathering such a dataset in a single institute is cumbersome and arguably impossible, and privacy sensitive, as it requires anonymization and sending of large quantities of data. These issues can be resolved using federated learning, where statistical models (including complex machine learning and deep learning models) can be trained on oncology data distributed all over the world, without the requirement to take patient data outside of the originating hospital (3). By sharing the model instead of patient data, federated learning allows models to learn from data in a privacy-sensitive method. In this way we expect to study the association of cardiac and immune system toxicity with overall survival in thousands of patients.

Your research will be embedded in the Department of Radiation Oncology of the Netherlands Cancer Institute, in close collaboration with the research group at MAASTRO and you will be part of an international federated learning consortium.

Requirements

Specific Requirements

We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic PhD student with a strong affinity for radiotherapy, machine learning and/or (bio)statistical modelling. Moreover, interest in federated learning and the ICT tools required to make the approach work will be required. The candidate should have a master’s degree in physics, biomedical engineering , mathematics, informatics or a related field. Strong communication skills are required in this multidisciplinary project. A background in radiotherapy or modelling as part of the master program is recommended. Experience with programming, preferably in Python, expertise with Docker containerization and federated learning and processing DICOM imaging data is appreciated.

Additional Information

Benefits

Compensation

Your temporary employment will be for a period of 4 years. The gross salary per month for our PhD will range from €3.355,- to a maximum of €4.073,- according to the standard PhD scales. The terms of employment will be in accordance with the Collective Labor Agreement for Hospitals. In addition you will receive a fixed end-of-year bonus (8,33%) and you will receive 8,33% holiday pay.

For more information in regards to the secondary conditions please visit our website: https://www.nki.nl/careers-study/how-to-apply/.

Selection process

How to apply?
Please send your application in via the above link, applications sent directly to e-mail will not be processed. Applications should include your resume, a motivational letter, and the contact information of at least two references.

The deadline for applications is March 25, 2024.

The NKI values diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive work environment that stimulates the best in each individual. Applications of all individuals are welcomed regardless of age, ancestry, religion, disability, distance from the labor market, sexual orientation or gender identity.

Additional comments

Interested?
Would you like to know more about this vacancy or our organisation?

Please contact:

Dr. Barbara Stam b.stam@nki.nl,

Dr. Tomas Janssen t.janssen@nki.nl

https://www.nki.nl/research/research-groups/jan-jakob-sonke/

Suggested reading

Stam B, Peulen H, Guckenberger M, et al. Dose to heart substructures is associated with non-cancer death after SBRT in stage I-II NSCLC patients. Radiotherapy and Oncology. 2017;123:370–375.
Abravan A, Faivre-Finn C, Kennedy J, et al. Radiotherapy-Related Lymphopenia Affects Overall Survival in Patients With Lung Cancer. Journal of Thoracic Oncology. 2020;15:1624–1635.
Deist TM, Dankers FJWM, Ojha P, et al. Distributed learning on 20 000+ lung cancer patients – The Personal Health Train. Radiotherapy and Oncology. 2020;144:189–200.

How to apply?
Please send your application in via the link below, applications sent directly to e-mail will not be processed. Applications should include your resume, a motivational letter, and the contact information of at least two references.