About the position
Job Description
Responsibilities
Post Doctoral Fellow.
The Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Maryland
School of Medicine (UMSOM) is seeking a highly motivated
postdoctoral fellow for a full-time, three-year appointment. The
fellow will contribute to an NIH-funded project developing a
non-invasive, MR-compatible hyperthermia system for brain tumor
treatment.
The fellow’s primary focus will be the development of
high-resolution virtual anatomical models of the human head for
patient-specific electromagnetic and thermal simulations. This work
will include detailed tissue segmentation from medical images,
integration of automatic and semi-automatic segmentation
algorithms, refinement of anatomical geometries, and optimization
of surface and volumetric meshes. The fellow will also develop and
evaluate multiphysics computational models coupling microwave
electromagnetic energy deposition with bioheat transfer to predict
specific absorption rate and temperature distributions in the brain
and surrounding tissues. The fellow will also have opportunities to
shadow clinical hyperthermia treatments across deep, superficial,
and interstitial modalities, providing direct exposure to quality
assurance, treatment planning, treatment delivery, thermometry, and
clinical workflow.
Primary Responsibilities
•
Develop anatomically detailed, high-resolution virtual models of
the human head from CT and MRI datasets.
•
Perform manual, semi-automatic, and automatic segmentation of
tissues relevant to electromagnetic and thermal modeling.
•
Integrate and evaluate automatic segmentation algorithms within a
reproducible anatomical-modeling workflow.
•
Refine segmented geometries and optimize surface and volumetric
mesh generation for anatomical accuracy, numerical stability, and
computational efficiency.
•
Develop multiphysics models coupling electromagnetic field
simulations, microwave power deposition, tissue perfusion, and
bioheat transfer.
•
Perform mesh-convergence, sensitivity, uncertainty, and
model-verification analyses.
•
Compare computational predictions with phantom, preclinical, and
other experimental measurements.
•
Analyze simulation results and prepare manuscripts, conference
presentations, and technical reports.
•
Collaborate with medical physicists, engineers, neurosurgeons,
imaging scientists, and industry partners.
•
Shadow clinical hyperthermia treatments—including treatment
planning, patient setup, thermal monitoring, and quality
assurance—to understand the clinical constraints and translational
requirements that should inform model development. This experience
will be observational and educational rather than an independent
clinical role.
Required Qualifications
•
PhD in medical physics, biomedical engineering, electrical
engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, applied
physics, applied mathematics, or a closely related field.
•
At least one year of direct research experience in medical-image
segmentation and three-dimensional anatomical-model
development.
•
Experience processing CT, MRI, or comparable volumetric
medical-imaging datasets.
•
Demonstrated ability to conduct independent quantitative research
and analyze complex computational results.
•
Strong scientific writing, communication, and organizational
skills.
•
A record of peer-reviewed publications or other evidence of
research productivity.
Preferred Qualifications
•
Experience with Synopsys Simpleware or comparable software for
image segmentation, anatomical-model generation, and mesh
creation.
•
Experience with COMSOL Multiphysics, Ansys, or comparable
finite-element or multiphysics simulation software.
•
Knowledge of electromagnetic modeling, radiofrequency or microwave
propagation, heat transfer, or bioheat-transfer modeling.
•
Experience with finite-element meshing, geometry cleanup,
material-property assignment, and mesh-quality assessment.
•
Experience automating image-processing or simulation workflows
using Python, MATLAB, C++, or similar programming languages.
•
Familiarity with machine-learning or deep-learning methods for
medical-image segmentation.
•
Experience with DICOM data, medical-image registration,
high-performance computing, or GPU-based computation.
•
Previous experience in medical physics, thermal therapy,
hyperthermia, treatment planning, or medical-device
development.
Mentorship and Training
The fellow will be primarily supervised by Dr. Dario Rodrigues,
Associate Professor and Lead Hyperthermia Physicist in the
Department of Radiation Oncology. Dr. Rodrigues brings 18 years of
research experience in computational modeling, applicator design,
and experimental validation, together with more than 12 years of
clinical hyperthermia experience and leadership service in major
international thermal therapy societies. This combination of
computational, experimental, and clinical expertise will provide
the fellow with an integrated training environment in which model
development is closely connected to technical feasibility and
clinical translation. Close proximity to Dr. Rodrigues’s office
will facilitate frequent informal interactions, supplemented by at
least one formal meeting each week and regular multidisciplinary
project meetings.
The fellow will receive training in computational medical imaging,
patient-specific multiphysics modeling, thermal therapy,
translational research, scientific communication, and manuscript
and grant preparation. The fellow will be encouraged and supported
in presenting findings at major national and international
conferences and publishing in peer-reviewed journals. The
Department also offers multiple CME-accredited training
opportunities, including the Hyperthermia Therapy Practice School;
participation may be available subject to eligibility and
departmental approval.
Qualifications
Doctorate or recognized terminal degree in the field of
specialization. Demonstrated research abilities. May require
unrestricted license in the State of Maryland.
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