Research Associate

About the role:

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (CMR) is established for clinical diagnosis, prognosis, and guiding therapy. Our group has been at the forefront of the development of CMR techniques. These new methods will speed up clinical CMR examinations by a factor of 3 with benefits such as improving access to CMR, reductions in waiting lists and improved diagnostic value. This is a fantastic opportunity to join our dynamic multidisciplinary team of physicists, computer scientists, engineers and clinicians developing truly novel translatable imaging techniques.

What you would be doing:

• You will develop MRI pulse sequence and reconstruction methods in for in-vivo imaging of the heart on our Siemens 3T scanner.
• You will adapt post-processing data analysis methods to extract the additional information you encoded into the images with your sequence developments.
• You will validate these techniques in phantoms, pre-clinical experiments and healthy volunteers.
• You will support the translation of your methods into initial clinical research studies in patients.
• You will produce high quality, high impact work for dissemination at international meetings and in journals.

What we are looking for:

We are looking for a talented research associate in MRI physics to help us develop next generation CMR techniques. Ideally you will have a good undergraduate degree or MSc (or equivalent) in mathematics, physics, or engineering;

A PhD in MRI, or a closely related discipline, or equivalent research, industrial or commercial experience; Knowledge of research methods and statistical procedures; Practical experience within a research environment and / or publication in relevant and refereed journals; Experience in a programming language (C++, MATLAB or Python preferred); Experience in developing MRI pulse sequences and/or image reconstruction techniques (ideally with Siemens scanners); Experience in scanning phantoms and healthy volunteers; Experience with CMR techniques would be desirable but could also be developed during the project.

What we can offer you:

• The Group’s research interests lie in CMR, specifically in vivo Diffusion Tensor CMR (DT-CMR) to study the microstructural dynamics of cardiac contraction. In vivo DT-CMR offers huge potential for technical innovation and it may provide novel insights into microstructural abnormalities of regional cardiac function inaccessible by any currently available clinical test.
• The opportunity to continue your career at a world-leading institution

• Sector-leading salary and remuneration package (including 39 days off a year)

Further Information

This is a fixed term full-time post funded by Heart Research UK for 36 months based at Royal Brompton Campus.

Applicants will need to complete the online application form, but we encourage potential applicants to make contact for informal discussions first.

As this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, at the appropriate level, will be required for the successful candidate.

*Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as a Research Assistant within the salary range £41,694 - £44,888 per annum.

Should you require any further details on the role please contact: Sonia Nielles-Vallespin – s.nielles-vallespin@imperial.ac.uk.                                                              

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