Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Engineering and Science, Department of Electrical Engineering has a available a temporary position as research scientist from 01.09.2019 to 31.08.2020.

Western Norway University of Applied Sciences

With about 16,000 students, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences is one of the largest higher education institutions in Norway. A broad range of academic programmes are offered at Bachelor, Master and PhD levels, spread out on five campuses Førde, Sogndal, Bergen, Stord og Haugesund.

Our ambition is to build stronger and more solid academic and research environments that will interact nationally and internationally. The aim is to become a recognized actor on the international higher education arena. Increased international cooperation and engagement in externally funded projects will work towards this goal.

About the position:

Through funding from the Trond Mohn Research Foundation and Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, the Faculty of Engineering and Science has in 2015 established a framework for an R&D project within the field of particle therapy.

A new R&D project within this framework has recently been initiated with focus on in-vivo range and dose monitoring in particle therapy. The project is concerned with research and development efforts on applications of organic scintillators for the detection and imaging of energetic secondary neutrons and prompt gamma-rays for the purposes of in-vivo range and dose monitoring. The long-term goal of the NOVO (NeutrOn and gamma-ray imaging for real-time range VerificatiOn and image guidance in particle therapy) project is the development of a so-called single volume scatter camera (SVSC). The SVSC is based on an array of optically segmented organic pillar-shaped scintillators read-out on both ends with appropriate photodetectors, preferentially with good timing, energy and position measurement capabilities. Furthermore, use of organics with pulse shape discrimination capabilities will allow efficient discrimination of neutron and gamma-ray induced events in the SVSC enabling a “unification” of neutron and gamma-ray imaging. This is ultimately expected to improve the achievable counting statistics which has been the main limiting factor in any prompt gamma-based range monitoring technique in particle therapy.

In the initial stages of the detector development campaign, we are focusing on two main aspects; 1) modeling efforts to better understand the physics limitations of different SVSC configurations and 2) development of reliable methods and tools for detector (scintillator + photodetector) characterization. The candidate is expected to contribute to the second aspect with extensive laboratory evaluations of scintillator samples as well as light read-out sensors, initially with radioisotopic sources of gamma-rays and neutrons. Potential light read-out sensors to be tested are photomultiplier tubes, silicon photomultiplier arrays and, contingent upon available material budget, microchannel plate photomultipliers. Moreover, it is expected that the candidate will employ the backscatter gating method for characterizing the response of organic scintillators; a method that has been developed by the project partners at OncoRay, Helmholtz Zentrum Dresden Rossendorf, Germany.

The research scientist will be hired at HVL, Bergen, Norway. The experimental work is expected to be performed partially at HVL, Campus Bergen, and at experimental facilities of partner institutions; Department of Physics and Technology, University of Bergen, Norway and OncoRay, Helmholtz Zentrum Dresden Rossendorf, Germany. The position is timelimited and is initially offered for a period of one-year.

Key duties- and responsibilities:

• Prepare experimental setup including read-out electronics for digital and analog pulse processing in coordination with project partners
• Perform measurements with reference scintillators and reference light read-out sensors to characterize photoelectron yields, energy resolution, time resolution and pulse shape discrimination capabilities of various combinations
• Communicate, in a systematic manner, the results of experimental tests orally and in written to the project partners in bi-weekly meetings
• Present the results of experiments in scientific conferences and meetings when appropriate
• Publish the results of experiments in scientific journals when appropriate
• Document the results of experiments in the form of technical notes for internal use

Qualifications:

Formal qualifications:

• The candidate must hold a minimum of MSc degree or have submitted their MSc dissertation for evaluation within the closing date of the application. It is a condition of employment that the dissertation is approved. The MSc degree must be within nuclear engineering, radiation physics, medical physics, experimental nuclear physics or a related discipline involving radiation detection and measurement systems. Candidates with PhD degrees will receive a higher pay grade upon employment
• The candidate must have previous experience with and knowledge of radiation detection instrumentation
• The candidate should have previous experience with scintillation detector systems, preferentially with organic scintillators
• The candidate should have previous experience with digital pulse processing systems as well as analog front-end electronics for pulse-mode operation of radiation detectors
• Programming experience, e.g. in Python, Matlab, Root, C++, will be advantageous
• Fluency in written and spoken English

Personal characteristics:

• Good at working in a team of colleagues with different technical backgrounds
• Capability to work independently
• Structured
• Outgoing and communicative

Application procedure:

To apply for this position, please use the link “Apply for this job” (“Søk stillingen”).

The applications will be assessed by the information entered in www.jobbnorge.no at the application deadline. The applicants are responsible for ensuring that all the documentation is submitted before the closing date, including the scientific work (up to 15 pieces), complete publication list, certificates and diplomas. If the diplomas, transcripts or other documentation are not in a scandinavian language or English, the applicant must upload the certified transactions himself. If the attachments exceed 15 MB, they must be compressed before uploading or attaching as a link.

Qualified applicants will be invited to an interview and an trial lecture. Applications cannot be sent by e-mail or to individuals at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences.

We offer:

• Good occupational pension, insurance and loan schemes from The Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• Exciting academic environment with the possibility of competence enhancement and development
• Opportunities for training within the working hours

The position as Research Scientist is paid according to the Government's salary regulation, in position code 1108 - Forsker.

There is a compulsory 2 % deduction to the pension fund (see http://www.spk.no/en for more information). The successful applicant must comply with the guidelines that apply to the position at any time.

General information:

The appointment will be made in accordance with the regulations for State employees Law in Norway ("Lov om statens ansatte)". Organizational changes and changes in the duties and responsibilities associated with the position must be expected.

State employment shall reflect the multiplicity of the population at large to the highest possible degree. Western Norway University of Applied Sciences Bergen has therefore adopted a personnel policy objective to ensure that we achieve a balanced age and gender composition and the recruitment of persons of various ethnic backgrounds.

Information about the applicant may be made public even though the applicant has requested not to be named in the list of applicants. The applicant will be notified if his/her request is not respected. Applicants may be called in for an interview.

Contacts:

• 1) Fungerende instituttleder Solfrid Paula Sjåstad Hasund, telefon +47 55 58 76 08 eller mobil +47 970 25 153

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