MRI Physicist

University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

The MRI Physics team at UCLH has a vacancy for a keen MRI Physicist who would like to develop their career in clinical science and translational clinical research. This is a joint role between the Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering at UCLH and the Centre for Medical Imaging at UCL.

We are open to applicants from different scientific backgrounds. You may already be a state-registered clinical scientist who would like to expand your clinical research experience. Alternatively, if you have experience in an academic MRI Physics role then we would actively support your development and training in-role to achieve state-registration via the Association for Clinical Scientist's Route 2 pathway.

You would be joining a team that is growing to meet the challenges of 3 additional MRI scanners at the new Bedford Passage development. As well as supporting clinical MRI Physics services you will contribute significantly to translational clinical research.

Main duties of the job

You will work closely with the MRI Physics team at UCLH and with senior researchers at the UCL Centre for Medical Imaging. You will develop strong and productive working relationships with clinicians, scientists, and clinical managers.

You will be part of a clinical team that has significant commitments to support MRI clinical services in and related to Radiology, Neonatology, Fetal Medicine, Proton Beam Therapy, and Nuclear Medicine.

You will be part of a research team at the UCL Centre for Medical Imaging developing MRI biomarkers of prostate cancer.

You will use your organisational skills to manage both clinical and research projects involving clinical and technical stakeholders. You will use the academic and/or clinical science skills that you have developed in your previous roles and will be supported in your development as a clinical scientist with strong research interests. We want you to take an active role in supporting research, development, and innovation in the NHS.

About us

University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) is one of the most complex NHS trusts in the UK, serving a large and diverse population. We provide academically led acute and specialist services, to people from the local area, from throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. Our vision is to deliver top-quality patient care, excellent education, and world-class research.

Job responsibilities

For the full Person Specification and more information regarding the main responsibilities of this role, please refer to the attached Job Description.

The Department of Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering is a central resource of professional scientific and engineering knowledge and skills within UCLH. Our services support clinical services and research and development at UCLH and UCL.

The UCL Centre for Medical Imaging has a strong track record of translational clinical research with established links to UCLH. The UCLH MRI Physics Section provides direct support to clinical teams at UCLH and to researchers, predominantly at UCLH and UCL, across the following areas of work: Provision of MRI Safety Advice, Strategic development of clinical MRI services, Support for research, development, and clinical translation, and Staff Training, including development of Clinical Scientist trainees.

Person Specification Knowledge and Qualifications

• 1st or 2nd Honours degree in a Physical Science or equivalent
• Eligibility for State Registration as a Clinical Scientist with the HCPC or working towards registration within a reasonable timescale
• Professional Institute Membership
• PhD degree or equivalent research experience

Scientific and technical

• Advanced theoretical and technical knowledge in MRI
• Knowledge of quality assurance of MRI equipment
• Knowledge and experience of clinical applications of MRI
• Understanding of relevant national standards, guidelines, and legislations relevant to MRI including MHRA, IEC, CEMFAW, Caldicott, GDPR, COSHH, and Health & Safety at Work Act

Clinical

• Knowledge of clinical practice and the role of MRI Physics
• Basic knowledge of relevant anatomy, physiology, and pathology
• Good understanding of the hazards and risks of MRI in the clinical environment
• Knowledge and understanding of quality and risk management as they apply to MRI Physics

Management and Leadership

• Understanding of quality and performance management and their application to MRI Physics
• Able to encourage colleagues and contribute positively to the team
• Ability to articulate and report the status of assigned projects and systems
• Knowledge of how to offer effective supervision
• Knowledge of appropriate standards and systems of financial accountability in a public sector organisation
• Ability to supervise trainees effectively and sympathetically

Scientific and Technical

• Experience of a scientific healthcare environment
• Experience of a variety of computing systems and application packages
• Experience of image acquisition with a clinical scanner
• Experience of image processing techniques
• Experience of quality assurance of clinical MRI equipment
• Experience of at least one programming language used for research (e.g., python, matlab)

Management and Leadership

• Experience of providing services in a healthcare environment
• Experience of supervision, training, and/or management of scientists/trainees
• Experience of managing resources within a project
• Experience of identifying service development or research opportunities
• Experience of participating in committees/working groups involving scientific and technical information
• Experience of MRI Pulse sequence programming

Scientific and Clinical

• Ability to apply knowledge and experience in making judgements regarding the safe operation of clinical MRI equipment
• Ability to perform options appraisals based on a range of information and judgements
• Ability to provide advice on the use of clinical MRI equipment for patient diagnosis, management, and treatment for routine care and when planning and implementing a research programme
• Skill at approaching scientific and technical problems in a logical manner
• Ability to organise own workload
• Good computing skills including programming skills and using signal and image processing applications
• Able to operate a range of clinical MRI systems
• Good data analysis skills

Communication

• Good track record of disseminating scientific work through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations consistent with career stage
• Ability to produce clear and unambiguous reports and procedures which can be understood by staff and stakeholders from a variety of professions
• Ability to communicate complex information at postgraduate level to other professional groups
• Able to train groups of other professional staff
• Able to deliver teaching and training on complex subjects
• Ability to present information effectively for senior clinicians and Trust managers
• Ability to negotiate solutions to problems where conflicting views exist
• Able to deal with complex and unpredictable situations

Specific Personal Qualities

• Able to exercise initiative to solve problems, under supervision, when dealing with issues within own specialist area of competence
• Able to manage own time dealing with multiple priorities in short timescales
• Great attention to detail
• Commitment to develop and communicate the contribution of MRI Physics to healthcare
• Ability to use computer software to gather, organise, and process information
• Research and development track record
• Record of presenting work at scientific meetings

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

24 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

309-UCLH-5848

Job locations

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing, University College London Hospital

£54,320 to £60,981 a year Per annum inclusive of HCAS