AI for proton-acoustics for real-time 3D dosimetry of proton therapy

Start date

1 October 2026

Duration

4 years

Application deadline

Funding source

EPSRC IDLA, NPL

Funding information

Stipend: £25,805 pa, UK-level fees covered and generous research training support grant.

About

Proton therapy has emerged as a powerful cancer treatment technique due its superior tumour-targeting capabilities. Both conventional and ultra-high dose-rate proton therapies demand advanced imaging technologies to enable accurate in vivo three-dimensional dose verification and treatment delivery assessment. A promising imaging technology is proton-acoustics, relying on detecting acoustic waves generated by proton-tissue interaction for real-time in-vivo 3D proton beam imaging and dosimetry. However, proton-acoustic waves are weak, noisy and broadband. To address these challenges, this project will employ deep-learning techniques for signal denoising and 3D dose reconstruction.

The project is in close collaboration with the National Physical Laboratory and the Institute of Cancer Research,  and  benefits from the scientific environment and resources provided by the Centre for Vision, Speech and Signal Processing CVSSP and the Institute for People-Centred AI at the University of Surrey.

Related links

UK Health Security Agency National Physical Laboratory

Eligibility criteria

  • A First Class undergraduate degree or MSc with Distinction (or equivalent overseas qualification) in mathematics,  computer science, physics or engineering
  • ​Excellent mathematical, analytic, and programming skills 
  • ​Previous experience in AI
  • Previous experience in tomographic imaging would be advantageous.   

The scholarship is open only to candidates who qualify to pay UK-level (home) tuition fees.

How to apply

Applications should be submitted via the Vision, Speech and Signal Processing PhD programme page. In place of a research proposal you should upload a document stating the title of the project that you wish to apply for and the name of the relevant supervisor.

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Application deadline

Contact details

Lucia Florescu
15 BA 00
Telephone: +44 (0)1483 686045
E-mail: l.m.florescu@surrey.ac.uk
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