Student, Co-Op/Placement (Research and Development Physicist / Biophysicist)

Union: Non-Union 
Number of vacancies: 1
New or Replacement Position: New
Site: Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
Department: Department of Medical Biophysics
Reports to: Principal Investigator
Salary Range: $20.00-$26.00 per hour
Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Shifts: Day 
Status: Temporary Full-time (4-8 months)
Closing Date: November 29, 2026

Position Summary

The Vitkin Lab, based at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (University Health Network) and the Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, develops and applies Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) to study tumour biology and the effects of novel radiotherapy techniques. We are part of an active, multidisciplinary research program investigating FLASH radiotherapy (ultra-high dose-rate irradiation) in preclinical mouse models, in close collaboration with the Radiation Medicine Program's medical physics team.

We are seeking a highly motivated Co-op student to join our research team and contribute directly to in vivo FLASH irradiation studies. The student will work closely with senior research scientists, physicists, and engineers to acquire and analyze multimodal imaging data — including intravital OCT and 7T MRI — from a dorsal skinfold window chamber tumour model, to investigate how FLASH dose rate affects tumour and normal tissue microvasculature.

Please note this role involves in-person laboratory and small-animal facility work at our downtown Toronto location. Students will be given specific training on all relevant laboratory, imaging, and animal-handling protocols before beginning hands-on work. The Vitkin Lab is dedicated to fostering the professional development of its trainees, and Co-op students are encouraged to participate in lab meetings, journal clubs, and other training activities taking place during their term.

Duties

The Co-op student will apply their scientific and technical skill set to support an active in vivo FLASH radiotherapy research program. They will work closely with senior lab members, under direct supervision, to advance project objectives and milestones.

The main responsibilities of the position are listed below, but may be expanded upon based on the experience level of the candidate:

• Assist senior scientists and engineers in the design and execution of in vivo FLASH irradiation experiments using the dorsal skinfold window chamber mouse model
• Support animal preparation, handling, and monitoring in accordance with institutional animal care protocols
• Acquire longitudinal tumour and vascular imaging data using the lab's optical coherence tomography (OCT) system
• Assist with image acquisition on the 7T small-animal MRI system
• Process, analyze, and quantify imaging data using MATLAB and/or Python
• Assist in experimental design, including irradiation scheduling, imaging timepoints, and control-group planning
• Contribute to manuscript writing, including drafting sections, literature review, and reference management
• Produce publication-quality figures and data visualizations summarizing experimental results
• Prepare presentation materials (PowerPoint slides) for lab meetings, collaborator updates, and conferences
• Participate actively in weekly group meetings and present progress updates
• Accurately document all experiments, protocols, and results in laboratory notebooks/electronic records
• Perform all work in a safe manner and maintain a clean, organized laboratory and imaging workspace
• Work in accordance with approved protocols and standard operating procedures (SOPs)
• Other duties as assigned