Position: PhD studentship funded by EU Host-Driven Marie Curie Action RTN (Marie Curie job opportunity for Early Stage Researcher, 0-4 years of experience).
Place of work: Mainz, Germany.
Contract: Fixed term
Duration: 3 years
Start date: 01/09/2007
Deadline for application: 01/05/2007
Job title: Clinical hyperpolarised Helium-3 MRI
Profile: Master degree (or equivalent) in Physics or Biomedical Engineering. The candidate will ideally have already some training/experience in magnetic resonance techniques. An open minded personality with a strong interest in multidisciplinary cooperation is optimal for this position.
Job description: The position requires a strong theoretical and experimental background as well as knowledge of programming in languages such as C++ and MATLAB. The work will involve implementation of novel imaging techniques on 3T and 1.5T whole body MRI systems for Helium-3 MRI, as well as development of advanced post-processing techniques. The student will be encouraged to participate in ongoing collaborations with other researchers across Europe with multiple opportunities to visit leading international academic and industrial laboratories and to attend taught summer schools. Information on PHELINET as well as on earlier EU funded research on hyperpolarised Helium-3 lung MRI (PHIL) can be found at (http://www.phil.ens.fr/ ).
Environment: The work will be performed as part of an interdisciplinary research group (medical physics, physiology, radiology, anesthesiology ...) at Mainz University, Germany. Mainz was one of the first labs undergoing hyperpolarised Helium-3 imaging in 1995. Since then, MRI of the lung, in particular using exogenous contrast gases like hyperpolarised Helium-3 and fluorinated gases, has been one of our key research interests. A variety of MRI techniques to assess and measure lung function and lung microstructure have been developed in our lab since then. The Department of Radiology is equipped with five whole body MRI systems; upgrade to latest MRI technology (3T, 1,5T) will be performed in the first half of 2007.
Funding: The project is funded as part of the EU- 6th Framework Program - Research and Training Network "PHELINET" (Polarised Helium Lung Imaging Network, 2007-2011, information posted on http://www.phil.ens.fr). As a consequence, specific rules with trans-national mobility conditions apply for recruitment.
Gross amount of employment contract: 31710 euros/year. Recruited researchers in Marie Curie RTNs also receive travel, mobility, and relocation allowances. 
Restrictive conditions: For detailed information about the rules of mobility and conditions of nationality applicable to eligible researchers, please visit: http://ec.europa.eu/research/fp6/mariecurie-actions/. In particular: 1/The candidate should preferably (but not exclusively) be a national of EU Member or Associated States, excluding Germany; 2/ At the date of appointment, she/he should not have resided or worked in Germany for more than 12 months in the last 3 years. PHELINET recruitment is based on an equal opportunity policy. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
Contact: For more information on the project, please contact Wolfgang Schreiber, PhD, Head and Professor of Medical Physics, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Mainz University Hospitals, 55128 Mainz, Germany. Phone +49 / 6131 / 17-5295. Fax +49 / 6131 / 17-475285. e-mail: wschreib@uni-mainz.de. Webpage: www.medizinische-physik.klinik.uni-mainz.de
