Research Associate, AI and Simulations Scientist for Medical Imaging & Therapy

Requisition Id 16393 

Overview:

As a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science national laboratory, ORNL has an impressive 80-year legacy of addressing the nation’s most pressing challenges. Our team is made up of over 7,000 dedicated and innovative individuals! Our goal is to create an environment where a variety of perspectives and backgrounds are valued, ensuring ORNL is known as a top choice for employment. These principles are essential for supporting our broader mission to drive scientific breakthroughs and translate them into solutions for energy, environmental, and security challenges facing the nation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and validate Virtual Clinical Trial (VCT) frameworks to simulate patient populations and evaluate the efficacy of radiopharmaceutical interventions and imaging protocols.
• Integrate AI/ML techniques with Monte Carlo simulations (e.g., Geant4, MCNP) to accelerate radiation transport calculations and image reconstruction workflows.
• Optimize computational medicine codes for leadership-class HPC architectures to enable high-throughput population-scale simulations.
• Collaborate across interdisciplinary teams spanning nuclear medicine, radiology, oncology, and computational physics.
• Publish findings in high-impact journals and present at leading clinical and computational conferences.
  
  

Required Qualifications:

• Ph.D. (within 0–5 years) in Medical Physics, Nuclear Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, or a related computational field.
• Strong programming skills in C++, Python, or similar languages relevant to scientific modeling and image processing.
• Extensive experience with one or more of the following codes (or similar): Monte Carlo radiation transport codes (e.g., Geant4, GATE, TOPAS), DNA damage and repair modeling (MEDRAS), multicellular modes (Compucell, Physicell).
• Experience working on High-Performance Computing (HPC) systems for large-scale data analysis or complex simulations.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct independent research with a strong publication record in medical imaging and/or radiotherapy.
• Demonstrated ability to obtain research funding (e.g., DOE, NIH, DoD, or industrial partnerships).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for effective interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Commitment to ORNL’s core values: Impact, Integrity, Teamwork, Safety, and Service.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications:

• Deep expertise in internal dosimetry and pharmacokinetic modeling for alpha and beta-emitting radiopharmaceuticals.
• Experience in spectral or multi-energy CT imaging, including the development of virtual imaging phantoms and detector modeling.
• Experience improving performance of medical physics workflows via:
• GPU/accelerator optimization for real-time dose calculation.
• Parallelization of Monte Carlo codes.
• Experience applying AI/ML to medical imaging or therapy, including:
• Deep learning for image reconstruction and denoising.
• Predictive modeling for patient-specific treatment planning and toxicities.
• Foundation models for medical image analysis.
• Familiarity with clinical imaging standards (e.g., DICOM) and software frameworks like ITK, VTK, or 3D Slicer.
• Experience with integrated multiscale modeling connecting cellular radiation damage to organ-level clinical outcomes.
• Exposure to AI-enabled scientific workflows that couple physics-based simulation with data-driven clinical observations.

Special Requirements: 

• This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a clearance from the Department of Energy. As such, this position is a Workplace Substance Abuse (WSAP) testing designated position. WSAP positions require passing a pre-placement drug test and participation in an ongoing random drug testing program.

Security, Credentialing, and Eligibility Requirements:

For employment at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), a Real ID compliant form of identification will be required.  Additionally, ORNL is subject to Department of Energy (DOE) access restrictions. All employees must also be able to obtain and maintain a federal Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card as mandated by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) and Department of Energy (DOE) Order 473.1A, which requires a favorable post-employment background investigation.

To obtain this credential, new employees must successfully complete and pass a Federal Tier 1 background check investigation.  This investigation includes a declaration of illegal drug activities, including use, supply, possession, or manufacture within the last year.  This includes marijuana and cannabis derivatives, which are still considered illegal under federal law, regardless of state laws.

About ORNL:

ORNL offers competitive pay and benefits programs to attract and retain individuals who demonstrate exceptional work behaviors. The laboratory provides a range of employee benefits, including medical and retirement plans and flexible work hours, to support the well-being of you and your family. Employee amenities such as on-site fitness, banking, and cafeteria facilities are also available for added convenience.

Other benefits include the following: Prescription Drug Plan, Dental Plan, Vision Plan, 401(k) Retirement Plan, Contributory Pension Plan, Life Insurance, Disability Benefits, Generous Vacation and Holidays, Parental Leave, Legal Insurance with Identity Theft Protection, Employee Assistance Plan, Flexible Spending Accounts, Health Savings Accounts, Wellness Programs, Educational Assistance, Relocation Assistance, and Employee Discounts.

If you have difficulty using the online application system or need an accommodation to apply due to a disability, please email: ORNLRecruiting@ornl.gov.

This position will remain open for a minimum of 5 days after which it will close when a qualified candidate is identified and/or hired.

We accept Word (.doc, .docx), Adobe (unsecured .pdf), Rich Text Format (.rtf), and HTML (.htm, .html) up to 5MB in size. Resumes from third party vendors will not be accepted; these resumes will be deleted and the candidates submitted will not be considered for employment.

ORNL is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants, including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans, are encouraged to apply.  UT-Battelle is an E-Verify employer.