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: Unit de Recherche en Rsonance Magntique Mdicale, Orsay, France.
Contract: Fixed term
Duration: 3 years
Start date: 01/09/2007
Deadline for application: 01/08/2007
Job title: Magnetic resonance elastography of the lung with hyperpolarised helium-3 
Profile: Graduate or Master Physicists with a strong theoretical and experimental background, knowledge, or interest in fields related to acoustics, ultrasounds, fluid mechanics, magnetic resonance, electronics and programming.
Job description: The research work aims at the measurement of the regional viscoelastic properties of the lung. The PhD student will initiate elastography of the lung by magnetic resonance of helium-3 atoms as an original means to study and characterise obstructive diseases of the airways like asthma or emphysema or diseases like interstitial fibrosis or cancer. The student will be encouraged to participate in ongoing collaborations with other researchers across Europe with multiple opportunities to visit leading international laboratories and to attend taught summer schools.
Environment: The research unit "U2R2M" is an interdisciplinary laboratory devoted to research in magnetic resonance in medicine. The U2R2M researchers knowledge is particularly suited to advanced instrumental and methodological studies at different field strengths, including gradient and RF hardware design, analysis of the macroscopic NMR parameters (T1, T2, T2*, apparent diffusion coefficient,...) in relation to the local microstructure, acquisition and processing software development. In addition they have a strong background in clinical implementation and evaluation of advanced techniques such as fast MRI, in-vivo MRI microscopy, flow velocity and acceleration mapping. Two whole-body MRI systems are available (a 0.1 T prototype, designed in the laboratory in collaboration with the French company Magnetech, implemented on the Orsay campus ; a 1.5 T system Philips Achieva, fully dedicated to medical research and implemented in a clinical MRI facility directed by Pr. Bittoun at the Bictre hospital).
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: 31985 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 France; 2/ At the date of appointment, she/he should not have resided or worked in France 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 Luc Darrasse, Senior Researcher, U2R2M, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Sud. Tel +33 1 69 15 40 04. E-mail: darrasse@u2r2m.u-psud.fr

 
