RESEARCH SCIENTIST/ENGINEER-SENIOR

RESEARCH SCIENTIST / ENGINEER-SENIOR

As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.

UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty.

This position, Research Scientist / Engineer-Senior (E S 10), carries responsibilities for operations, maintenance, and upgrades of the clinical cyclotron facility at the University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC), a unique system with only a few similar installations world-wide.

The primary objective is to ensure the facility can safely and reliably deliver particle beams for neutron radiation therapy, isotope production, and medical research through the development of new subsystems and the upgrade or replacement of legacy subsystems.

This position is a lead electrical engineer role on the cyclotron team.

Complexities include-Operating, maintaining, and upgrading a one-of-a-kind particle accelerator. Modernizing legacy analog electrical systems utilizing existing system documentation and contemporary engineering standards.

Integrating new equipment into the existing control system. Developing safety and control systems for new equipment and cyclotron activities.

Generate full documentation on all designs to ensure maintainable systems. Learning machine operations to best understand how to design for its control and to occasionally fill in during normal operations.

Occasionally assisting junior engineers on their projects to help advance engineering skill and capabilities. Opportunity to assist in mentoring an undergraduate engineering capstone project sponsored by the cyclotron facility.

The University of Washington has the only operating fast neutron therapy facility, the only US facility able to produce the novel therapeutic isotope 211-At for clinical trials, and the only regional facility able to provide medium energy protons, alphas, and fast neutron for radiation effects testing.

This position is absolutely critical to supporting all of these programs and for any new programs that could be launched in the future.

These programs are key to multimillions in grant funding at UW and FHCC and directly affect UWMC patient care.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Control and Safety System Development 20%

• Develop new controls and safety projects, taking point of the electrical design, fabrication, testing, and integration aspects.
• Integrate new equipment into the facility that could include LV & HV power supplies, beamline diagnostic equipment, and off-the-shelf motion controllers.
• Develop, advance, and refine equipment, processes, and procedures to improve fast neutron therapy, especially as it relates to the novel intensity modulated neutron therapy (IMNT) as well as temporally (FLASH), spatially (mini-beam) fractionated proton therapy, and isotope production.

Legacy System Replacement and Upgrade 30%

• Work within the constraints of the running system to upgrade, replace, and modernize older subsystems in the facility that can include :
• Analog circuit design
• PCB layout
• Design and fabrication 19 racks to enclose designs and integrate
• Logic circuitry (both analog and FPGA based)
• Control software development in EPICs

Development of novel beamline equipment 10%

The UWMCF accelerator is unique in that, unlike almost all other accelerators of its size, it can produce variable energy beams of protons, alpha particles, deuterons, and 3He, whereas most other accelerators can only produce fixed or limited energy protons beams.

These other unique beams require a unique set of diagnostic equipment that isn’t commercially available and must be developed in-house or in collaboration with other universities, national labs, and experts in the commercial sector.

Developing this equipment requires an in-depth knowledge of a broad range of topics including low noise electronics, electrical shielding techniques, particle beam optics, and thermal analysis and modeling.

Assist in the electrical design of novel equipment.

Accelerator operations 10%

Develop functional knowledge of accelerator operations to best inform new designs. Assist along with the rest of the engineering team when system troubleshooting efforts of junior staff have stalled.

Ensure safety of patients and staff during operations.

Occasionally contribute to operations schedule in moments of low coverage.

Radiation Effect Testing operations and development 10%

• Develop functional knowledge of Radiation Effects Testing setup and operations to inform designs for novel test bed equipment to address needs and attract customers.
• Occasionally contribute to operations schedule in moments of low coverage.

Particle Therapy development 10%

Develop functional knowledge of the facility’s particle therapy programs including IMNT and proton FLASH to inform designs for novel capabilities or experimental setups.

Isotope production 5%

Assist in the electrical and PLC integration of isotope production equipment including an automated target station and a new dedicated isotope beamline.

Facility maintenance 5%

• Define and develop advanced maintenance procedures for all new designs, critical structures including High Power RF, and all control system equipment.
• Build knowledge of facility through understanding its maintenance requirements.
• Assist in repairs or troubleshooting as needed.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

• PhD in engineering or physics plus 6 years minimum experience required OR equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Equivalent education / experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license / certification / registration.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Expert knowledge of operating a particle accelerator under routine conditions as well as under non-standard conditions.
• Ability to quickly assess failures and either correct them within minutes or postpone operations.
• Have a logic approach to problems, in particular with regard to trouble-shooting, interpretation of readouts, design of experiments and interpretation of data.
• Have experience with mechanical assemblies; recognize dangers and limitations, in particular where heavy equipment is involved.
• Have experience with electric and electronic technology, computer controls and use of electronic test equipment.
• Be familiar with high voltage and high power RF equipment.
• Expert knowledge of nuclear physics experimentation techniques, data acquisition and design of experiments to support ongoing or planned clinical studies.
• Expert knowledge of isotope targetry, beam optics, and isotope production modeling.
• Have experience with radiation producing equipment and with handling of radioactive parts.
• Have experience developing and maintaining >

$1million spare parts inventory.

• Have knowledge of vacuum technology, RF technology, analog and digital circuitry, computer controls, nuclear instrumentation, optical surveying equipment and a wide variety of other related fields.
• Proficiency with technical writing, as exemplified by research publications and technical reports.
• Experience with the design, construction and testing of complex real time computer control systems.
• Experience working with computer controlled radiation treatment machinery.
• Experience with EPICS or other large scale control system development toolkit.
• Experience with safety critical software development.
• Experience with mechanical CAD systems such as SpaceClaim and AutoCad Fusion.
• Experience with 3-D printing.
• Experience with nuclear and thermal modeling software such as MCNPX and Fluent.
• Experience with electro-deposition and electroplating systems.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Be familiar with patient-related dosimetry, in particular regarding the special requirements for the neutron beam.
• Experience working in a medical clinic environment.
• Have ability to develop and manage facility budget.
• Experience working with a variable energy cyclotron with multiple beamline.
• Experience managing and mentoring undergraduate and graduate engineering teams on technically advanced project.
• Experience with metrology survey systems such as FARO Vantage.
• Experience with machine shop tools such as drill press, vertical mill, lathe, grinder, radial arm saw.
30+ days ago