Research Associate in Pulmonary MRI

Job description:

The successful candidate will take forward methodological research in the physics and engineering of magnetic resonance imaging for hyperpolarised 129Xe, and will be based in the POLARIS group.

Specifically, the candidate will develop MR image acquisition methods, pulse sequences and hardware for both hyperpolarised xenon (129Xe) and low field pulmonary MRI applications.

The post holder will have the chance to work in close collaboration with engineers in GE Healthcare with whom we have a close collaboration that is co-funded by an EPSRC prosperity partnership.

Research will include MR pulse sequence development and RF coil engineering  projects on 0.5T, 1.5T and 3T scanners with a focus on hyperpolarised 129Xe applications in lung and brain. The candidates will be able to adapt and test their methods in cohorts of patients with lung disease, as part of ongoing clinical studies. The candidates will work closely with other MRI physicists and engineers in the team, and alongside clinical partners at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals and Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

In addition, this role offers you the opportunity to develop a working relationship with scientists at GE Healthcare and Advanced Healthcare Technologies.

You will contribute to the supervision of PhD and undergraduate students in the research group and actively participate in ongoing international collaborations with other academic, clinical and industrial research partners. In this flexible role, you will generate high-impact research at the interface between technical innovation  and clinical translation. In addition to publishing high-impact papers as one of the main authors, you will contribute to MR imaging strategy in the Division of Clinical Medicine for further translational research.

About the Research Group

POLARIS has strong links with the Insigneo Institute for in silico medicine and with Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Sheffield Children’s Hospital. We are internationally recognised for research in MR methodology for proton and non-proton MRI of the lungs (https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/polaris), and active beyond pulmonary MRI including neuroscience, abdominal and cardiovascular imaging, and multi-nuclear MRI. Our state-of- the-art imaging facilities include 2x 1.5T MRI scanners, a 0.5T MRI scanner, a 3T PET-MR scanner, hyperpolarisation labs and a well-equipped RF engineering laboratory.

About the University

The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world-class university.

We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a highly competitive annual leave entitlement (with the ability to purchase more), a generous pensions scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more.

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