Research Associate In Proton Therapy Detector Development

Job reference: BMH-032638
Salary: £38,448 per annum
Faculty/Organisational Unit: Biology, Medicine Health
Location: The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Withington, Manchester
Employment type: Fixed Term
Division/Team: Division of Cancer Sciences
Hours Per Week: Full time (1 FTE)
Closing date (DD/MM/YYYY): 27/10/2026
Contract Duration: Fixed term from 13th December 2026 to 31st March 2027
School/Directorate: School of Medical Sciences

The University of Manchester is seeking to appoint a Research Associate to contribute to a short-term translational pilot project focused on the development and evaluation of a novel time-of-flight detector system for in-vivo range verification in proton beam therapy. Based within the Division of Cancer Sciences and working closely with collaborators at The Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, the post offers an excellent opportunity to undertake experimental work in the proton research facility, analyse data to support validation of the technology and contribute to project delivery, dissemination of findings and outputs arising from the pilot study.

You should hold, or be close to completing, a PhD in physics, medical physics, engineering or a closely related discipline, with relevant experimental research experience in detectors, instrumentation or radiation physics. You should also be able to demonstrate strong analytical and data handling skills, experience of independent experimental work and the ability to contribute effectively within a multidisciplinary research team. Experience in proton therapy, fast timing techniques, Monte-Carlo methods or clinical research environments would be advantageous. This fixed-term post offers access to specialist proton therapy research infrastructure and close links to one of the UK’s leading cancer centres. The University of Manchester is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.

You will be responsible for:

• Design, construct and optimise a prototype time-of-flight based range probe integrating ultra-fast silicon detectors and timing electronics.
• Plan and undertake experimental measurements in the proton therapy research facility to characterise detector performance, timing resolution and calibration against proton range.
• Carry out validation studies using appropriate phantom models and compare findings with established clinical systems and detectors.
• Analyse and interpret experimental data to assess system precision, uncertainty and performance against project objectives.
• Work collaboratively with academic, clinical and technical colleagues across the University of Manchester and The Christie NHS Foundation Trust to support delivery of the project.

Our benefits include:

• Generous employer contribution pension
• 29 days annual leave plus bank holidays, along with Christmas closure
• Ride to work and EV car scheme available

For more information, please see University of Manchester Benefits. You can also find information on our Flexible and Hybrid working here.

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Enquiries about the role, shortlisting and interviews

Name: Dr Michael Taylor, Senior Lecturer in Proton Therapy Physics

Email Address: m.j.taylor@manchester.ac.uk

General enquiries and administrative support

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Applications close at midnight on the closing date.