ME RA (or staff/post-doc) position - thermal regulation and gantry
for high resolution cancer camera
Stanford University, Molecular Imaging Instrumentation Lab
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Apply your technical skills to designing and building novel
high-resolution molecular cancer imaging systems. The Stanford
Molecular Imaging Instrumentation Laboratory is seeking an MS or PhD
graduate student, a Post-doc, or a Staff Research Engineer to design
and develop the thermal regulation system and the gantry for an
advanced breast cancer imaging system under development in our
lab. We are mainly looking for people with mechanical engineering
background, but those in other disciplines of physics/engineering may
apply IF they have experience in designing thermal regulation/cooling
systems and in using mechanical CAD software to design and build
complex structures.
The high resolution system consists of thousands of densely-packed
detection modules comprising scintillation crystals and semiconductor
photo-detectors positioned in ceramic and aluminum frames,
densely-packed readout electronics, and printed circuit boards (PCBs)
spaced just a few millimeters apart. We are looking for someone to
design adaptive thermal regulation for the system and well as the
associated system gantry and chassis. Using finite volume method
simulations of the heat generation in the system, the successful
candidate will design and build an adaptive thermal regulation system
using heat-sinks, liquid cooling, and Peltier devices. The project
will involve designing a dynamic control system to adaptively adjust
the thermal regulation scheme. The candidate will also model the
system gantry and chassis using CAD software, oversee or participate
in the machining of the structures designed, and work with the
physicists and electrical engineers in the lab to build the system
prototype. The candidate will also be involved in designing a
mechanical structure with multiple degrees of freedom so one can
precisely and flexibly position the cancer imaging detector head. The
candidate would have the chance to work with and learn from a
multi-disciplinary group of electrical engineers, physicists,
computer scientists, applied mathematicians, and bioengineers, and
will also be exposed to fields in the biomedical sciences. If
successful, this candidate will play a critical role in developing a
camera that will enable fewer breast cancer cells to be visualized
and quantified in the clinic, which will directly impact early breast
cancer detection.
We are most interested in candidates who are interested in a two-year
commitment, but shorter/longer terms can be discussed. This
innovative project could also be used for a PhD dissertation.
In addition to graduate students, we are also interested in hiring
post-docs or full-time staff engineers, so recent grads or
experienced engineers are encouraged to apply. Please send the following:
- resume or CV
- list of relevant courses taken or unofficial transcript
- Answer the following questions:
1) What degree program are you currently enrolled in and what is
your eventual degree objective (MS or PhD)? If applicable, have you
taken/passed the PhD Qualifying Exam or when are you planning to take it?
2) What are your research interests?
3) What are your career objectives? If you are a student, what
do you want to do after graduation?
4) What experience do you have in designing thermal
regulation/cooling for electronics?
5) What hands-on experience do you have in implementing and
building systems (i.e., a physical mechanical/hardware system, not
just simulations)?
6) What experience do you have in machining, CAD software, and
finite element/volume method simulations?
7) Are you interested in an engineering project that directly
impacts patient care?
Please send it to flau@stanford.edu by Monday Dec 8, 2008. Sorry,
due to time constraints, we will only respond to the candidates
selected for an interview. You will receive an email by the first
week of the Winter quarter at the latest if selected for an interview.
Thanks,
Molecular Imaging Instrumentation Lab at Stanford
(http://mips.stanford.edu/research/lab?lab_id=2652)
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