5D Model-Based Treatment Personalization for Right-Time Adaptive Proton Therapy KU Leuven in Belgium

KU Leuven, Belgium's largest university in research funding, offers a fully funded PhD position in the innovative field of adaptive proton therapy. The project, titled 5D Model-Based Treatment Personalization for Right-Time Adaptive Proton Therapy, is based at the Laboratory of Experimental Radiotherapy within the Department of Oncology. The research is embedded in the RAPTORplus consortium, which focuses on optimizing proton therapy treatments using advanced multi-modality imaging and biological modeling.

The Proton Center at KU Leuven is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, including a Proteus®ONE system for pencil beam scanning and comprehensive imaging modalities such as kV-kV, CBCT, and dual energy CT. The center supports both clinical and research activities, providing an ideal multidisciplinary environment for high-impact research.

The PhD project aims to develop and extend the open-source treatment planning system (OpenTPS) to incorporate multi-modality image data (X-ray, MRI, PET), timing considerations, and biological modeling (tumor control and normal tissue complication probabilities). The research will address the challenge of balancing optimal treatment adaptation with practical constraints such as machine throughput and clinical outcome gains.

Key work packages include:

• Development of a flexible clinical workflow simulator in OpenTPS, integrating advanced robustness evaluation tools and multi-modality imaging.
• Optimization of treatment workflows using both traditional and AI-based techniques, focusing on dose distribution and biological outcomes.
• Training of AI agents with reinforcement learning to discover optimal treatment strategies, maximizing clinical benefit.

The successful candidate will collaborate closely with leading industry partners such as IBA (proton therapy equipment) and RaySearch (treatment planning software), as well as international academic partners. The position is fully funded for 3 years through a European consortium, with additional funding actively sought for the typical 4-year PhD duration at KU Leuven.

Eligibility: Applicants should hold a master's degree in physics, medical physics, or a related engineering field (e.g., computing, signal processing). Strong programming skills in Python and C/C++ are required, along with excellent English communication skills. Willingness to travel for secondments is expected.

Application: Applications must be submitted exclusively via the consortium webpage: https://raptor-consortium.com/recruitment/. For further information, contact Prof. dr. Edmond Sterpin at [email protected].

KU Leuven is committed to diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity. The university provides a supportive environment for all researchers and encourages applications from candidates of all backgrounds.