Lead Proton Medical Physicist

The Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of North Carolina is seeking a lead faculty proton medical physicist for the North Carolina Cancer Center. The North Carolina Cancer Center is a member of the UNC Health Care System and is located in Chapel Hill, NC.

The North Carolina Cancer Center is currently staffed with 13 Radiation Oncologists, 7 Dosimetrists, 12 Medical Physicists, and 1 IT specialist. The North Carolina Cancer Center clinic is equipped with 3 Elekta accelerators, a CyberKnife system, a Mobetron intraoperative accelerator, an Elekta HDR system, a VariSeed LDR prostate system, a Philips large bore CT simulator, and a recently installed Philips MR simulator. The Center is in the process of installing a Varian TrueBeam. A Mevion S250-FIT Proton Therapy System is due to be installed in 2027. Clinical treatment planning systems (TPS) include Raystation TPS, Accuray Precision TPS for CyberKnife, Oncentra HDR Brachy TPS, and VariSeed LDR Brachy TPS. Ancillary systems include VisionRT.

Construction on the vault to house the Mevion S250-FIT Proton Therapy System will commence in 2026, with installation scheduled to begin in the latter half of 2027. The lead proton faculty physicist is expected to start as early as September 2026 to work with Mevion and project management teams to ensure project success. A secondary proton faculty physicist (to be hired) would ideally begin in the same timeframe. Both the lead and secondary proton faculty physicists will work collaboratively with appropriate stakeholders to establish the infrastructure, workflows, and Policies and Procedures required for physics-related tasks and patient treatments.

The successful candidate is expected to be actively involved in a broad range of clinical, research, and teaching activities within the Department and the School of Medicine.

• Clinical duties: The lead proton faculty physicist will work with and oversee the secondary proton faculty physicist during acceptance and commissioning of the Mevion S250-FIT system, acquisition of dosimetry data, and commissioning of proton treatment planning in RayStation. Once the proton therapy system becomes operational, the successful candidate will lead clinical proton therapy physics services. Responsibilities include ensuring the accurate and safe delivery of proton radiation treatments and maintaining the safety of patients and treatment staff.
• Research: The successful candidate must be motivated to actively pursue research opportunities with the potential to secure extramural funding.
• Residency Program: The department supports a CAMPEP-accredited Medical Physics Residency Program and, as such, mentoring of residents is expected.