Open Rank: Medical Physicists

Posted: 2026-06-06

The Department of Radiation Oncology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) is seeking a faculty therapeutic medical physicist at the Instructor, Assistant, Associate, Professor level, with the opportunity to affiliate with a clinical medical physics practice within the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC). HICCC is one of 71 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, providing cancer care services throughout New York City, Westchester, and the Hudson Valley, and is dedicated to an integrated, patient-focused approach to cancer research, treatment, support, prevention, education, and outreach.

Department Description

The ACR-accredited Department of Radiation Oncology, which provides clinical medical physics services to three (3) clinics, is supported by nine (9) board-certified medical physicists, three (3) board-certified on-site dosimetrists, and five (5) remote dosimetrists. Our main academic center, located at 168th St. in the Washington Heights neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan, is equipped with three (3) conventional linear accelerators: a Varian Trilogy, two (2) Varian TrueBeams, and a Varian Ethos, supporting a very busy online adaptive radiotherapy program. All platforms provide IGRT via CBCT/kV and/or MV on-board imaging, and SGRT is facilitated via a newly installed LAP Luna system. The Department houses a wide variety of technologies supporting specialized procedures: an Elekta Esprit GammaKnife for framed and frameless intracranial radiosurgery, a Zeiss IntraBeam for intraoperative radiotherapy, and a Best Novoste for vascular brachytherapy. Elekta solutions are used to provide routine high-dose-rate (gynecological, intracavitary, skin, and interstitial) brachytherapy treatments. The Department utilizes a Siemens Definition for patient simulation.

The Department’s satellite facility in Bronxville, NY, houses a Varian TrueBeam linear accelerator equipped with VisionRT AlgnRT for SGRT, along with a Phillips CT/PET simulator. Our satellite facility in Cortlandt Manor, NY, is undergoing significant technology upgrades in 2026, including replacing a CT simulator and installing a Varian TrueBeam, with provisions for a future BrainLab SRS platform.

Finally, construction of NewYork-Presbyterian's The Beacon, a $1.2 billion cancer and multispecialty center at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center campus in Washington Heights, is expected to be completed by the end of 2028. The project will consolidate oncology services, expanding the footprint of our current radiation oncology clinic with several next-generation treatment platforms and additional CT and MR simulators.

Electronic medical record, record & verify, treatment planning, and machine quality assurance tracking systems are shared across the enterprise and include EPIC, ARIA, Eclipse, Velocity, SNC SunCheck, and a variety of in-house-developed dashboarding systems.

Specific Duties

Clinical

Successful candidates will be responsible for the precise delivery of radiation treatment plans and for ensuring patient and treatment staff safety, while providing clinical radiation therapy physics services for the Department’s EBRT, IMRT, IGRT, SRS, SBRT, online-ART, and HDR brachytherapy programs. Routine clinical medical physics services include chart checks, machine calibrations, physician consultations, and ongoing quality assurance. Successful candidates will also oversee or assist with new equipment acceptance and commissioning, dosimetric data acquisition, SRS, oART, and brachytherapy treatment planning, and the training of clinical personnel. The clinical activities of satellite facilities are supported by the Department’s Physics group, and candidates will be expected to provide paid, infrequent coverage at these sites as needed, with their main clinical appointment at our 168th St. facility. Creating a safe and efficient clinical operation is paramount to Department leadership, and a successful candidate will be expected to participate in initiatives that promote these standards, e.g., procedural and workflow quality improvement projects using Lean principles.

Education

Candidates are expected to be actively involved in a wide range of teaching duties within the Department and Medical School. This includes participation in the didactic and clinical training of Radiation Oncology and Medical Physics Residents. The Department’s CAMPEP-accredited Medical Physics Residency program consists of both three-year (research) and two-year (clinical) tracks, and faculty shall serve as mentors in specific areas consistent with their expertise and experience.

Research

Qualified applicants will be eligible for faculty appointment in a research or clinician-educator track at a level commensurate with their research experience and publication record. Depending on the desired track of faculty appointment, candidates will be provided with resources to support clinically applicable/translational research within the Department and in collaboration with researchers within the Medical School and across disciplines at Columbia University.

Academic rank and base salary commensurate with experience.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master’s Degree (Instructor level) Candidates seeking appointment as an Instructor must have: (1) an M.S. in medical physics and (2) be ABR board certified (or an international equivalent) or board eligible in medical physics.
• Doctorate Degree (Assistant Professor level or above) Successful candidates for appointment at the Assistant, Associate, Professor level must have: (1) a Ph.D. in medical physics or a closely related field and (2) be ABR board certified (or an international equivalent) or board eligible in therapeutic medical physics.

Preferred Skill/Competency

The ideal candidate should have excellent verbal and written communication skills, strong technical skills, and a commitment to exemplary clinical practice and teaching.

Ideally, board-certified candidates will have a minimum of two (2) years of clinical experience in an academic clinical setting. A strong preference is for candidates who (1) hold a degree from a CAMPEP-accredited Graduate Program in Medical Physics, (2) have experience teaching and mentoring Medical Physics graduate students and residents, or (3) have a strong record of medical physics-related research leadership, evidenced by lead roles in peer-reviewed publications, externally funded grants, or successful industry partnerships.

Columbia University is an Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran