FDA CDRH Fellowship in Evaluating Spectral X-ray Imaging Systems with Photon-Counting Detector

Organization
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Reference Code
FDA-CDRH-2023-01
How to Apply

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A complete application consists of:      

  • An application
  • Transcripts – Click here for detailed information about acceptable transcripts
  • A current resume/CV, including academic history, employment history, relevant experiences, and publication list
  • One educational or professional recommendation. Your application will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed until one recommendation is submitted.

All documents must be in English or include an official English translation.

If you have questions, send an email to ORISE.FDA.CDRH@orau.org. Please include the reference code for this opportunity in your email.

Application Deadline
3/13/2023 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone
Description

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis. 

A research opportunity is available in the Division of Imaging, Diagnostics, and Software Reliability (DIDSR) Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories (OSEL) within the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) located in Silver Spring, Maryland.
 
The fellow will be part of a collaborative team researching to conduct exploratory research to develop testing methodologies for emerging photon counting spectral x-ray imaging systems including CT scanners with an emphasis on breast cancer CT devices. This project is multi-faceted with focus areas involved in developing computational tools for modeling spectral imaging systems with photon counting based detectors, to implement modifications on an existing laboratory benchtop system that can emulate spectral breast tomosynthesis and CT and develop physical and digital anthropomorphic phantoms along with test methods to assess image quality with photon counting detector-based imaging systems. 
 
Participant Learning Objectives:    
 
• Chance to interact with a multidisciplinary group of scientists, including biomedical and electrical engineers, physicists, and mathematicians within and outside the FDA (the project includes collaborators in academia and industry).
• Gain expertise in conducting and support research on novel medical imaging modalities and imaging physics for regulatory based goals.
• Experience will allow the participant to understand the parameters involved in evaluation of spectral x-ray imaging systems.
• In addition, the participant will have the opportunity to learn about regulatory science issues at the FDA.     
 

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: March 1, 2023; start date is flexible


This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and FDA. The initial appointment is for one year but may be renewed upon recommendation of FDA contingent on the availability of funds. The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. The appointment is full-time on-site for laboratory research at FDA in the Silver Spring, Maryland, area. Participants do not become employees of FDA, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits.

Completion of a successful background investigation by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is required for an applicant to be on-boarded at FDA. OPM can complete a background investigation only for individuals, including non-US Citizens, who have resided in the US for a total of three of the past five years.

FDA requires ORISE participants to read and sign their FDA Education and Training Agreement within 30 days of his/her start date, setting forth the conditions and expectations for his/her educational appointment at the agency. This agreement covers such topics as the following:

  • Non-employee nature of the ORISE appointment
  • Prohibition on ORISE Fellows performing inherently governmental functions
  • Obligation of ORISE Fellows to convey all necessary rights to the FDA regarding intellectual property conceived or first reduced to practice during their fellowship
  • The fact that research materials and laboratory notebooks are the property of the FDA
  • ORISE fellow’s obligation to protect and not to further disclose or use non-public information
Qualifications

The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing or have received a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields. Degree must have been received within the past five years.

Preferred candidates should have demonstrated academic or professional experience with some of the following: 
• Familiarity with x-ray radiation detectors and the physics of photon transport
• Medical image reconstruction in CT, MRI, PET/SPECT, or Ultrasound.
• Benchtop system design, experience in opto-mechanics, electronics, and instrumentation along with strong data analysis skills are essential (We use LabView), 
• Programming with languages such as LabView, MATLAB, Python or C.

Eligibility Requirements
  • Degree: Associate's Degree, Bachelor's Degree, Master's Degree, or Doctoral Degree received within the last 60 months or currently pursuing.
  • Discipline(s):
    • Communications and Graphics Design (6 )
    • Computer, Information, and Data Sciences (1 )
    • Engineering (4 )
    • Mathematics and Statistics (1 )
    • Physics (16 )
  • Age: Must be 18 years of age
Affirmation

Have you lived in the United States for at least 36 out of the past 60 months? (36 months do not have to be consecutive.)

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