Particle therapy is a growing external radiotherapy that utilizes the properties of protons and carbon ions (vs. photons and electrons) to deliver more conformal dose distributions in the patients, maximizing doses to the tumor whilst minimizing risks to surrounding healthy tissues. In clinical proton therapy facilities, beams are accelerated to MeV energies and stopped within the patient body. The exact stopping position of a given beam is known only with limited accuracy due to uncertainties in patient positioning, imaging and treatment delivery; therefore, in order to fully exploit the potential of proton therapy, an in-vivo verification system, able to determine the beam range in the patient during irradiation with sub-millimetric accuracy, is desired.

At this moment, at the Nuclear Physics group we have several projects related with the advance of particle therapy and therefore, we welcome MSCA applicants with a synergistic interest in the following topics:
Development of contrast agents for PET and prompt-gamma range verification of particle therapy beams.
Development of an ultra-high-instant rates capable prompt-gamma detector suitable for modern synchrocyclotron accelerators.
Development of an ionoacoustic range detection system with advanced image reconstruction techniques.
Radiobiology and treatment planning for particle therapy.
Instrumentation for in-beam PET.
Ideal candidates should hold a PhD in Physics or Engineering in related fields such as nuclear physics, medical physics, dosimetry, nuclear medicine, image reconstruction, radiobiology radiation detection, etc. Applicants with a background in experimental nuclear or particle physics with an interest in medical physics and protontherapy are specially welcome.