Biomedical Engineer

Job id: 084347. Salary: £43,205 – £50,585 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance.

Posted: 14 March 2024. Closing date: 19 March 2024.

Business unit: IoPPN. Department: Neuroimaging.

Contact details:Carly Bennallick. [email protected]

Location: Denmark Hill Campus. Category: Professional & Support Services.

Job description

The Ultra-low field Neuroimaging In The Young (UNITY) project is seeking an adventurous applicant with MRI physics and/or engineering experience for a unique clinical research and support scientist role. The UNITY project is an integrated network of physics development sites, clinical research partners and data collection centres as well as industry partners and international, non-profit organizations. The collective aim is to identify reliable neurodevelopmental biomarkers that are predictive of longer-term cognitive outcomes and are sensitive to changes associated with maternal and child health interventions over the first 1,000 days of a child’s life.

As the clinical research and support imaging scientist, you will be the central liaison between the primary academic site (King’s College, London), the network of physics and engineering sites throughout the US, Canada, and Europe, the clinical sites located in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, and industry partners (Hyperfine, FlyWheel, CollectiveMinds Radiology, and CaliberMRI). The post-holder will work, hand-in-hand, with the UNITY PI (Prof. Steven Williams, KCL) and the principal funder (the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) with respect to overall strategic direction and project execution. On the ground, you will support training and data collection across the sites, including scanner field maintenance, software upgrades, and sequence improvements. Your role will include developing and implementing new sequences and/or data analysis methods across the network of sites, evaluating acquired data and image quality, and taking a hands-on approach to improving access and capacity building across clinical sites. The role includes extensive travel to each of the 20+ clinical sites and 10+ physics and engineering development sites.

What this position offers:

• Opportunity to work at the intersection of academia, industry, and philanthropy to drive the development of low-field MRI to inform and improve child health globally.
• Ability to work directly to improve access to MRI for both research and clinical outcomes.
• Work hand-in-hand with leading academic and clinical global health researchers on projects that aim to alleviate the impact of devastating maternal and child health conditions and address social and economic inequalities.
• Opportunity to travel and learn from passionate investigators across Africa and South Asia.

This post will be offered, on an a fixed-term contract for 2 years until February 2026.

This is a full-time post

Key responsibilities

• Regular interaction with clinical partners and stakeholders on aspects related to data quality, integrity and analysis, scanner operation, and project strategy.
• Be a critical link between the clinical and physics development sites to drive important innovations in sequence development and novel imaging methods to achieve strategic goals.
• Work directly with primary stakeholders (KCL and BMGF) to assess priority areas and ensure the strategic alignment across the network.
• Hands-on sequence or methods support alongside the physics teams and Hyperfine.
• First-level maintenance of the installed Hyperfine Swoop scanners with support from Hyperfine.
• Assist with software upgrades and assessing pre-post upgrade compatibility and protocol optimization.
• Support capacity building at each of the research sites through effective training and education.
• Identify new opportunities for data collection and work with partners to develop new and innovative imaging methods.
• Assist with the development of strategic training centers / centers of excellence as part of an ISMRM-BMGF partnership.

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Skills, knowledge, and experience

Essential criteria

Valid passport and ability to travel through Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh), Europe, Canada, and the US.

A BSc/MSc in MR physics or engineering, or related field

Experience of conducting brain imaging experiments (EEG & MR) with clinical populations.

Hands-on experience with MRI software (sequence and/or reconstruction) development and implementation.

Familiar with version control systems (e.g., Git) for working collaboratively and managing workflow development.

Strong programming skills (e.g., Python, r, Bash, Matlab). 

Prior experience with low and ultra-low field MRI

Desirable criteria

A higher degree in MR physics or engineering, or related field.

Prior experience working within multi-site consortia and networks.

Knowledge of pediatric neuroimaging – acquisition and analysis.

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King’s.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

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