Postdoctoral Fellow - Radiation Oncology - Research

UT MD Anderson; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 64,000 - 76,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Paid time off

Retirement benefits

Tuition benefits

Educational opportunities

Job summary

UT MD Anderson in Houston is seeking a post-doctoral research fellow to execute research projects while transitioning to independent research. The role involves mentoring junior lab members and leading collaborative projects within the research team.

Responsibilities include developing algorithms for data analysis, conducting research in cancer care methodologies, and assisting with scientific publications. The salary for the position ranges from $64,000 to $76,000 depending on experience, along with excellent benefits such as medical and dental coverage.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate required.
• Six years of experience in scientific or experimental research work.
• Preferred: Four years of related experience with preferred degree.

Responsibilities

• Execute research projects under the supervision of a principal investigator.
• Assist in mentoring junior lab members.
• Lead collaborative projects between the research team and clinical staff.
• Collect and analyze clinical data.

Skills

Machine learning

Data analysis

Clinical informatics

Algorithm development

Biomedical methods

Education

Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate

Tools

Software applications for data analysis

Job description

The post-doctoral research fellow will execute research projects under the supervision of a principal investigator, with a focus on developing skills to transition the trainee from mentored research to independent research.

Research Topics

• Development and implementation of ontological systems for cancer care,
• Knowledge representation approaches,
• Innovative methodologies to facilitate findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability (FAIR) of clinical information from diverse sources (i.e., electronic health records, lab data sources, radiotherapy treatment planning systems),
• Integration of multimodal data (i.e., imaging, genetic, socioeconomic data) to identify high-risk cancer populations or health disparities,
• Development of biomedical and computational methods and approaches (i.e., machine learning/artificial intelligence) to aid in the early diagnosis and management of acute and late cancer therapy-related toxicities,
• Development and validation of reinforcement learning approaches for algorithmic management of toxicities such as acute pain during and after radiotherapy (i.e., to minimize opioid usage/dependence),
• Development of novel and robust data analysis algorithms to tackle causal mechanisms of action for onset and progression of head and neck cancer disease,
• ML/AI based optimization of clinical procedures for precision orodental care, and
• Computational modeling for treatment planning and assessment of head & neck cancer treatment outcomes.

The post-doctoral fellow will also assist the principal investigator with mentoring junior lab members and leading collaborative projects between the research team, clinical staff, and rotating researchers.

All duties and responsibilities are carried out in compliance with institutional policies, ethical research standards, and applicable federal and state regulations.

Learning Objectives

• Provides analysis and develops algorithms and software for clinical and scientific problems.
• Projects may include all of the above found in the summary, including generation of dosimetric analyses, machine learning with or without integration of ontologies, toxicity assessment, ontology development, clinical data review and/or dental science components.
• Gain expertise in clinical informatics with a focus on advanced or semi-automated methods for making data ML/AI ready and ontological systems.
• Training and supervising other research personnel on techniques and equipment procedures.
• Standardization of database records and nomenclature to optimize semantic interoperability.
• Collect, analyze, plot data using appropriate software applications, store and record data on computer and lab notebooks.
• Assist in writing of scientific papers for publication, grant applications, and presentations at scientific meetings.
• Other duties as assigned.

Eligibility Requirements

Education Required: Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate

Experience

Required: Six years of experience in scientific or experimental research work.

Preferred: With preferred degree, four years of required experience.

Position Information

MD Anderson offers full-time postdoc positions with a salary ranging from $64,000 to $76,000 depending on the number of years of postgraduate experience. The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, paid time off, retirement, tuition benefits, educational opportunities, and individual and team recognition.

Offsite work arrangements are subject to approval and may be modified or revoked at any time based on business needs, performance considerations, or regulatory requirements.

It is the policy of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to provide equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by institutional policy or by federal, state or local laws unless such distinction is required by law.