The National Centre for Nuclear Research opens the competition for the position of:

PhD student AI | IMPET (UZ2_366)

The IMPET project aims to develop innovative, AI-enhanced solutions for industrial multiphoton imaging with high temporal resolution. 
The project focuses on two applications. The first is dynamic flow imaging for granular systems and opaque fluids, which allows for studying liquid metals used in cooling nuclear reactors or electronic systems dedicated to artificial intelligence (AI). The second approach includes 3D imaging of porous materials, e.g., for producing osmotic membranes used for seawater desalination and in renewable energy sources. 3D imaging will allow for more precise determination of the internal structure of materials, not only the size of free volumes and defects but also their location.|

The proposed approach's unique feature is its use of quantum decoherence measurements as complementary information to spatial distributions obtained in current industrial tomography. The project plans to develop an enhanced Positron Emission Particle Tracking (PEPT) method that will allow the tracking of a large number of radiotracers for efficient imaging of large volumes. Reduction and correction for image-distorting effects will be performed using dedicated artificial intelligence methods at an early stage of data processing. The research will result in the design of a low-cost industrial scanner and a software library dedicated to image reconstruction.

The PhD student will be employed for the IMPET project. The PhD studies can be attended at NCBJ doctoral school or other doctoral school located in Poland. An external form of PhD course is acceptable. The main topic of the PhD thesis has to be related to the project subject.

The position will be funded within the project titled "IMPET - Industrial Multiphoton PET Tomography" whose Principal Investigator is Dr. Wojciech Krzemień (FENG.02.02-IP.05-0152/23), project that is carried out within the FIRST TEAM FENG programme of the Foundation for Polish Science co-financed by the European Union under the European Funds for Smart Economy 2021-2027 (FENG).

The project implementation period: 01.02.2025 - 31.01.2028

Requirements:

• Master of Science in Physics or equivalent
• PhD student status (required at the time of signing the contract) or attendance in external PhD course (testimonial of the scientific advisor of the candidate is required) 
• good knowledge of English
• very good knowledge of Python 3
• very good knowledge of machine learning and scientific toolkits: PyTorch, Keras, TensorFlow, scikit-learn, scipy/numpy, pandas, Jupyter
• at least medium level knowledge of C++ programming
• practical experience with Convolution and Transformer based neural networks
• experience with genetic optimization algorithms
• experience in image processing and computer vision
• familiarity with good programming practices and design patterns
• familiarity with parallel processing techniques
• good knowledge of Linux
• good knowledge of Git source control system
• conscientiousness, engagement, good work organisation

We appreciate:

• experience with Monte Carlo simulation frameworks Geant4 and/or GATE
• experience with GPGPU
• experience in asynchronous programming
• good knowledge of Qt library
• experience with SQL and noSQL databases                   
• experience with containerisation techniques Docker / Kubernetes
• documented contributions to open source projects

Description of tasks:

• scientific studies on AI applications for data correction and classification in PET / PEPT or related imaging
• development of Monte Carlo simulations required for the project
• analysis of simulation or experimental data
• development of software library dedicated to image reconstruction
• preparation of scientific articles and proceedings
• help in the preparation of grant proposals to agencies and competitions in view of acquiring the additional financial support.

Work location: 

Andrzeja Sołtana 7, 05-400 Otwock, Poland
(Suburb of Warsaw, efficient and free daily bus transport service provided).

Gross Salary:

9,625 PLN per month (at current exchange rate 2 300 € per month); the details in each case depend on qualifications and experience, and the compensation is composed of the base salary, seniority addition, project bonus).

Read more about contributions in Poland at https://www.ncbj.gov.pl/en/hrcareer/contributions-poland

We offer: 

• employee contract (0.7 FTE) for 32 months.
• work in a dynamic, multidisciplinary team
• access to cutting edge infrastructure

Required documents:

• Cover letter that explains the motivating factors for considering the position (max. 1 pp)
• CV 
• contact details to a reference person including their position (name, surname, e-mail address)
• brief description of important scientific achievements, including a list of publications and conferences
• MSc diploma copy/scan
• Confirmation of the status as a Doctoral School student or, in the case of an external PhD, a certificate from the PhD supervisor.

As an attachment to your application please sign and enclose the following declaration:
I agree to the processing of my personal data included in this application for the needs necessary to carry out the recruitment.

Contact: dr Wojciech Krzemień (wojciech.krzemien@ncbj.gov.pl).

Applications in electronic form should be submitted in English to: wojciech.krzemien@ncbj.gov.pl 

Application deadline: May 6, 2025

Candidates may be asked to provide additional documents. We reserve the right to contact only selected candidates and the right to inform about the decision to fill the post only to the selected candidate.
In the selection process, short-listed candidates will be interviewed in person or remotely.

Position starts on: May 15, 2025 (at the earliest).

INFORMATION CLAUSE ON PERSONAL DATA PROCESSING:

1.    The controllers of the personal data processed during the recruitment process are:
a.    National Centre for Nuclear Research, ul.Andrzeja Sołtana 7, 05-400 Otwock and
b.    Foundation for Polish Science, ul. I. Krasickiego 20/22, 02-611 Warszawa.
2.    The data protection officer can be contacted by using the following address:
a.    Personal Data Protection Officer, National Centre for Nuclear Research,
Sołtana 7, 05-400 Otwock, Poland
b.    iod@ncbj.gov.pl
3.    Providing data contained in recruitment documents is a condition for applying for a job at NCBJ.
4.    Processing of the personal data for the purpose of filling the position listed in this announcement and to conduct subsequent recruitment is done on the basis of expressed consents. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of the processing based on consent before its withdrawal.
5.    Your personal data will not be made available to other data recipients.
6.    Your personal data will not be transferred to a third country or to an international organization.
7.    No automated individual decision-making and profiling as referred in Article 22 (1) and (4) GDPR is done during recruitment conducted by NCBJ. This means that no decisions regarding job candidates are made automatically and that no job candidate profiles are made.
8.    In the case you have been unsuccessful in applying for the position listed in this announcement and you haven’t given consent to store the collected personal data in the NCBJ recruitment database, your data will be erased no later than 12 years from the completion of recruitment process, but no longer than the date of the end of the durability period of the project, which will find its basis in the provisions governing project financing.
9.    You have the right to access your personal data, request its rectification or erasure. Filing a request to erase data is tantamount to withdrawal from the recruitment process. You have also the right to request restriction of processing in cases specified in Article 18 GDPR.
10.    You have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (President of the Office for Personal Data Protection) about unlawful processing of your personal data. The right to file a complaint only concerns the lawfulness of the processing of personal data, not the recruitment process.

The National Centre for Nuclear Research is awarded by “HR Excellence in Research”. Recruitment is based on OTM-R system (Open, Transparent and Merit-based recruitment practices in Research Performing Organisations).