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Doctoral position in Medical Science
Project title: Advancing magnetic resonance methodology for diagnosis and treatment monitoring of pediatric cancer with spinal cord involvement
The Department of Medical Radiation Sciences, is located at the Institute of Clinical Sciences at the Faculty of Medicine at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg.
General information about being a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg can be found on the university's doctoral student pages Doctoral studies University of Gothenburg (gu.se)
Duties
The PhD education in Medical Science comprises carrying out a scientific project and completing at least 30 credits of courses at third-cycle level. The doctoral student must also write a scientific compilation thesis or monograph corresponding to at least 120 credits. For more information about third-cycle studies at Sahlgrenska Academy, see https: // www. gu.se/en/sahlgrenska-akademin/doctoral-studies
Project Background: Spinal Cord Compression (SCC) due to cancer is a feared complication due to its potential for severe pain and permanent neurological deficits. Aim: To improve the diagnosis and treatment follow-up of children with SCC due to cancer using new diffusion weighted (DWI) and tensor imaging (DTI) methods. This may lead to better surgical resection and spare surrounding, healthy tissue during radiotherapy.
Study 1 Aim: Develop a method for correction of partial volume errors in in microstructural DTI markers. Workplan: A method based on water fraction will be developed and validated in simulations and on 6 healthy adults.
Study 2 Aim: Compare TSE-and EPI-based DWI sequences for microstructural evaluation. Workplan: Differences between sequences with and without noise bias correction will be determined using global, regional and texture features.
Study 3 Aim: Determine whether the geometric fidelity in DTI can be improved using image registration. Workplan: 10 healthy adults will be examined with DTI and high-resolution nerve root MRI. Possible improvement in geometric fidelity after registration of images will be determined in terms of DICE and spatial frequency distribution.
Study 4 Aim: Optimize a spine DWI protocol for tissue phenotyping. Workplan: 3 adult patients with spine tumors will be examined using a DWI-protocol with a wide range of b-values. Findings will be used for b-value optimization. The optimized protocol will be validated in additional 10 adult cancer patients.
Study 5 Aim: Determine whether changes in pain and functional scores post-treatment correlate with DWI/DTI findings pre-treatment in children with SCC due to cancer. Workplan: 10 children and 40 adult patients, referred to spine MRI for diagnosis of SCC or cancer treatment follow-up, will be included.
It is advantageous if the applicant has documented experience of working with MRI for optimization of scanning, postprocessing and image analysis. Good programming knowledge of e.g. Python and MatLab are of merit. Furthermore, the applicant is expected to be able to work both individually and in groups together with the research team, as well as possess good knowledge of writing and speech in both Swedish and English.
Education at third-cycle level comprises four years of full-time study, and leads to a doctoral degree. As part of your employment as a doctoral student, you may have departmental duties corresponding to up to 20 % of full-time employment, distributed throughout your study period. Departmental duties usually consist of teaching at first- and second-cycle levels, but may also include research and administration.
Eligibility
Education at third-cycle level requires general eligibility and specific eligibility as set out in the general syllabus for the subject.
The general eligibility requirements for education at third-cycle level are: 1. having completed a degree at second-cycle level, or 2. the fulfilment of course requirements totalling at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits must be at second-cycle level, or 3. the acquisition of equivalent knowledge in some other way, either in Sweden or abroad.
Specific entry requirements for this subject, according to the general syllabus, are: having completed the English B/6 course or is considered to have acquired equivalent knowledge through previous studies.
Assessment criteria
The selection of applicants who are considered to have the ability required to benefit from the study programme and who meet the general and specific eligibility requirements are assessed based on the following documented qualifications: - specific knowledge and skills within the subject area and related research fields - experience of scientific theory and relevant research methodology - scientific analysis and presentation verified through thesis, degree project, scientific journals or the like.
Employment
Once you have been admitted for education at third-cycle level, you will be employed as a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg. The provisions for employment as a doctoral student can be found in ordinance SFS 1993:100. Initial employment as a doctoral student may apply for a maximum of one year, and may be renewed by a maximum of two years at a time. A doctoral student may be employed as a doctoral student for a maximum of eight years, but the total period of employment may not be longer than the equivalent of full-time education at third-cycle level for four years.
Location: Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Department of Medical Radiation Sciences. Extent: 100%. First day of employment: as agreed.
The University applies a local agreement on salaries for doctoral students.
Contact information
For more information about the project please contact principal supervisor, Kerstin Lagerstrand, Associate Professor, Institute of Clinical Sciences, e-mail: [email protected]
Unions
Union representatives at the University of Gothenburg can be found here: https: // www. gu.se/om-universitetet/jobba-hos-oss/hjalp-for-sokande
Application
You can apply to be admitted for education at third-cycle level via the University of Gothenburg's recruitment portal. It is your responsibility to ensure that the application is complete as per the vacancy notice, and that the University receives it by the final application deadline.
You must include the following, in pdf format
If your degree is from a university outside of Sweden, make sure that you attach a diploma and full transcripts that makes assessing your degree easier .
If your degree has not been verified by a Swedish authority you need to provide contact details to the issuing university, registrar or similar, that can verify the degree at our request.
For information on what you need to submit in order to fulfill the English language requirement see https: // www. universityadmissions.se/en/entry- requirements/english-language-requirements/
Applications must be received by: 2024-06-10
Information for International ApplicantsChoosing a career in a foreign country is a big step. Thus, to give you a general idea of what we and Gothenburg have to offer in terms of benefits and life in general for you and your family/spouse/partner please visit:
https: // www. gu.se/en/about-the-university/welcome-services https: // www. movetogothenburg.com/
The University works actively to achieve a working environment with equal conditions, and values the qualities that diversity brings to its operations.
Salaries are set individually at the University.
In accordance with the National Archives of Sweden's regulations, the University must archive application documents for two years after the appointment is filled. If you request that your documents are returned, they will be returned to you once the two years have passed. Otherwise, they will be destroyed.
In connection to this recruitment, we have already decided which recruitment channels we should use. We therefore decline further contact with vendors, recruitment and staffing companies.