Company Description

RadInnovate is an Australian Research Council Industrial Transformation Training Centre, led by the Australian National University, in partnership with Adelaide University. We create co-designed research projects with industry and government to build the next generation of research leaders in radiation technology and nuclear science.

Australian industries have an acute need for a future-ready workforce equipped with sophisticated radiation and nuclear skills. Current projections indicate that demand for such specialists will soon outpace supply, with more than 50% of the current nuclear energy workforce retiring by 2040. Australia’s future workforce capability will, therefore, need to deliver creative applications of radiation and nuclear technologies through transdisciplinary knowledge: scientists who are trained in regulatory and social responsiveness and regulatory specialists who understand the challenges involved, each with the tools to communicate effectively publicly in ways that meet the needs of Australia’s diverse communities.

The Project The Masters by Research project on offer is based at the Australian National University, in partnership with AdvanCell, a vertically integrated, clinical-stage radiopharmaceutical company located in Brisbane, developing an innovative pipeline of targeted alpha therapies. AdvanCell is developing a state-of-the-art technology platform for the scaled production of radiopharmaceuticals based on the alpha-emitting Pb-212 radioisotope. This technology relies on a generator device involving a solid-state radioisotope source, consisting of a deposited layer of Th-228 on a metallic or ceramic substrate.

These materials are exposed to large quantity of alpha particle radiation, and the long-term effects of radiation damage on the source and other key components are still unclear. It is fundamental to investigate these effects,



as they can have an impact on the performance on the generator, and ultimately on the quality of the final drug product.

The candidate researcher will work with Professor Mahananda Dasgupta at ANU, and at AdvanCell’s Brisbane facility for the first period, and will be trained by AdvanCell’s R&D; team to prepare a series of samples that will be representative of candidate materials to be used in the Th-228 source and generator. Then, these samples will be irradiated using ANU’s reactor to simulate the effect of long-term radiation exposure. Finally, the irradiated materials will be characterised with a variety of analytical methods to examine the morphological, structural and functional changes caused by the exposure.

The student’s research will inform AdvanCell on the best selection of materials to be used in the Th-228 source and generator.

The Opportunity

- A 2 year Masters by Research (MPhil) co-designed with industry
- Industry placement at AdvanCell's labs in Brisbane
- A full scholarship + $8000 annual top-up
- Research at the Department of Nuclear Physics and Accelerator Applications (NPAA), ANU Research School of Physics, in Canberra
- Access to world-class research infrastructure across both sites

Qualifications

We welcome applicants from diverse academic and professional backgrounds, especially those with a Bachelor’s degree (preferably with Honours) in:

- Materials Science
- Engineering
- Chemistry
- Physics

We encourage applications from individuals who are inquistive, driven, and eager to collaborate across disciplines to make meaningful contributions to radiation and nuclear science.

Applicants must meet the academic and English language requirements for an MPhil at the ANU Research School of Physics.

Applications

Contact us at [email protected] with copies of your academic transcripts, curriculum vitae (CV), and english language test results (if applicable).

📌 MPhil Scholarship: Alpha radiation on radioisotope source materials (Canberra)
🏢 RadInnovate - ARC Training Centre for Radiation Innovation
📍 Canberra