Master Thesis - Algorithm development and optimization

RaySearch develops innovative software solutions to improve cancer care. About 1000 clinics in more than 40 countries use RaySearch software to improve treatments and quality of life for patients. RaySearch was founded in 2000 and is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. The headquarters is located in Stockholm, with subsidiaries in the US, Europe, Asia and Australia & New Zealand. Today we are more than 380 employees with a common vision of improving cancer care with innovative software. Our great staff is crucial for our success and we offer a fantastic working environment in modern offices, flexibility and good opportunities for development. We believe in equal opportunities, value diversity and work actively to prevent discrimination.

Are you in the end of your studies in computer science, mathematics, engineering physics or similar area and want to make an impact with technology in cancer treatment? RaySearch now offers two Master Thesis projects within algorithm development and optimization at our head office in central Stockholm, starting in January 2025.

“Doing my master's thesis at RaySearch allowed me to apply my academic knowledge to meaningful, real-world challenges that truly felt important. From day one, I was welcomed as part of the team and got to learn from experienced engineers, whom today I am proud to call my colleagues. Looking back, applying for the thesis position was the best decision I could have made to start off my career.”

Alicia Palmér, Research Engineer

We offer the following Master Thesis projects:

Treatment planning for radiation therapy constitutes a large-scale mathematical optimization problem with tens of thousands of parameters for the treatment machine as variables. The goal of the optimization is to find the configuration of variables that produces the best possible spatial distribution of radiation dose in the patient geometry. We offer the following two Master Thesis projects related to such optimization of radiation therapy treatment plans:

"Optimization of spatiotemporally fractionated radiation therapy for brain cancer patients"

A radiation therapy treatment is subdivided into a number of fractions that are delivered over a sequence of days. Conventionally, the same amount of dose is delivered in each fraction despite that equal fractions are not necessarily optimal in terms of treatment outcome, due to differences in radiation sensitivity between cancerous and healthy tissues. The purpose of this project is to explore the advantages of treatments that are allowed to vary between the fractions, both as a function of time and space. More specifically, the project aims to investigate the application of such spatiotemporally fractionated treatments to patients with multiple metastatic brain tumors, where they have the potential to reduce the overall biologically effective dose to the healthy brain.

"Optimization of dynamic collimator angle trajectories for brain and breast cancer treatments"

Radiation therapy is typically delivered through a so called multileaf collimator, a tungsten device that can shape the radiation to result in high doses delivered to the tumor and low doses to surrounding healthy tissues. In current practice, the collimator has a static angle throughout the treatment. However, modern treatment machines can rotate the collimator angle dynamically. This project aims to utilize this underused degree of freedom to improve the quality of radiation therapy treatments. We anticipate that this will be particularly useful for brain metastases and breast tumors.

The goal of these thesis projects is to formulate mathematical optimization problems and then to implement methods to find solutions to such problems in our in-house developed treatment planning system RayStation. The projects will involve nonlinear, combinatorial optimization, and/or computer science, implementation in programming languages such as C++ and C# (and possibly Python), and evaluation of the developed methods by retrospective planning on clinical patient cases.

Starting your career at RaySearch

Joining RaySearch as a Master Thesis Student, you will:

• … get a solid introduction to our company, products and ways of working.
• …become part of a rapidly growing, global Swedish company with head office and R&D department in Stockholm with a chance of full-time employment after graduation.
• … join 200 well-educated and dedicated engineers who enjoy knowledge sharing, problem-solving and working in teams.
• … work with cutting-edge technology for cancer treatment. Your daily work will contribute to improve cancer treatments for patients all over the world.

Our office

Our office is located in Hagastaden, Stockholm's Life Science Hub, with a modern and creative work environment. We offer a private gym, yoga, and social activities such as table tennis, foosball, and regular after-work events. Our bistro serves a fantastic lunch buffet, and every day we provide morning fika , as well as afternoon snacks. Our rooftop terrace offers a stunning view of Stockholm.

Who can apply?

Master thesis students with experience or interest in mathematical optimization, programming, and software design.

You are a master student within computer science, mathematics, engineering physics or similar area. You have a great interest in software development and contributing to our mission. Programming skills, relevant hobby projects and summer/part time jobs within software development are highly valued. In order to be able to contribute to this project, you are a self-motivated and structured person.​

​​It’s an advantage, but not required, if you have experience in C++ or C# development. ​

Application

Please apply to the position through the application form below. Selection and interviews will be ongoing. We do not accept applications by e-mail.