Student, Co-Op/Placement

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

• Contract
• Department: Research
• Compensation: CAD 20 - CAD 26 - hourly

UHN is Canada’s #1 hospital and the world’s #1 publicly funded hospital. With 10 sites and more than 44,000 TeamUHN members, UHN consists of Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, The Michener Institute of Education and West Park Healthcare Centre. As Canada's top research hospital, the scope of biomedical research and complexity of cases at UHN have made it a national and international source for discovery, education and patient care. UHN has the largest hospital-based research program in Canada, with major research in neurosciences, cardiology, transplantation, oncology, surgical innovation, infectious diseases, genomic medicine and rehabilitation medicine. UHN is a research hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto.

UHN’s vision is to build A Healthier World and it’s only because of the talented and dedicated people who work here that we are continually bringing that vision closer to reality.

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)
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