Job summary
We seek to appoint a motivated and experienced Clinical Scientist to help lead the MRI Physics Team based at UCLH.
The MRI Physics Section is part of the Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering. MRI physics support is provided for a wide range of clinical and research activities on 11 "in-house" MRI scanners, including a new development at Bedford Passage.
The section has a strong track record in translational MRI research, and you will take an active role in leading research activities and developing the clinical service. We work closely with clinicians and academic partners at UCL to actively promote and deliver activities aimed at translating innovations into clinical practice.
You will also take a lead role in training future clinical scientists who are following the National School of Healthcare Science Scientist Training Scheme.
This is an excellent opportunity to take a leadership role within a growing team and influence MRI safety, quality, teaching, training, research and innovation.
Main duties of the job
The Principal Clinical Scientist is the Deputy Head of the MRI Physics Team, delivering services, vision, and objectives that ensure that the section provides excellent MRI physics support to the Trust and to external stakeholders.
They will work at a senior professional level and operate with a very high degree of autonomy with the capacity to advise and act at that level.
The post holder will act independently as an MR Safety Expert (MRSE).
They will work as part of the MRI Physics Section within the Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering at UCH to deliver support to clinical MRI services.
The postholder has a role in developing efficient and effective working relationships and practices at the interfaces of organisational and professional structures, including within Medical Physics, between partners in clinical and academic science, with medical colleagues and external customers.
About us
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) is one of the most complex NHS trusts in the UK, serving a large and diverse population. We provide academically led acute and specialist services, to people from the local area, from throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. Our vision is to deliver top-quality patient care, excellent education, and world-class research.
We provide first-class acute and specialist services across eight sites:
University College Hospital (incorporating the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing)
National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery
Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals
University College Hospital Grafton Way Building
Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine
University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre
The Hospital for Tropical Diseases
UCH at Westmoreland Street
We are dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of many complex illnesses. UCLH specialises in women's health and the treatment of cancer, infection, neurological, gastrointestinal and oral disease. It has world class support services including critical care, imaging, nuclear medicine and pathology.
We are committed to sustainability and have pledged to become a carbon net zero health service, embedding sustainable practice throughout UCLH. We have set an ambitious target of net zero for our direct emissions by 2031 and indirect emissions by 2040.
Job description
Job responsibilities
For the full Person Specification and more information regarding the main responsibilities of this role, please refer to the attached Job Description.
The Department of Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering is a central resource of professional scientific and engineering knowledge and skills within UCLH. Our services support clinical services and research and development at UCLH and UCL.
The UCLH MRI Physics Section provides direct support to clinical teams at UCLH and to researchers, predominantly at UCLH and UCL, across the following areas of work:
Provision of MRI Safety Advice.
Strategic development of clinical MRI services, both at Trust level and within the North Central London Integrated Care System
Support for research, development and clinical translation.
Staff Training, including development of Clinical Scientist trainees.
Come and be a part of the best NHS trust in England to work for, according to our staff*
* UCLH top trust to work at in England - In the most recent NHS staff survey UCLH had the highest percentage of staff who said they would recommend us as a place to work, out of all general acute or acute/community NHS trusts in England for the third year in a row.
UCLH recognises the benefits of flexible working for staff To find out more, visit: Flexible working.
To discover more about what makes UCLH a great place to work, visit: Why Choose UCLH?
Job description
Job responsibilities
For the full Person Specification and more information regarding the main responsibilities of this role, please refer to the attached Job Description.
The Department of Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering is a central resource of professional scientific and engineering knowledge and skills within UCLH. Our services support clinical services and research and development at UCLH and UCL.
The UCLH MRI Physics Section provides direct support to clinical teams at UCLH and to researchers, predominantly at UCLH and UCL, across the following areas of work:
Provision of MRI Safety Advice.
Strategic development of clinical MRI services, both at Trust level and within the North Central London Integrated Care System
Support for research, development and clinical translation.
Staff Training, including development of Clinical Scientist trainees.
Come and be a part of the best NHS trust in England to work for, according to our staff*
* UCLH top trust to work at in England - In the most recent NHS staff survey UCLH had the highest percentage of staff who said they would recommend us as a place to work, out of all general acute or acute/community NHS trusts in England for the third year in a row.
UCLH recognises the benefits of flexible working for staff To find out more, visit: Flexible working.
To discover more about what makes UCLH a great place to work, visit: Why Choose UCLH?
Person Specification
Knowledge and Qualifications
Essential
- 1st or 2nd Honours degree in a Physical Science or equivalent
- Masters degree or equivalent experience
- State Registration as a Clinical Scientist with the HCPC
- Professional Institute Membership
- IPEM certification as an MRSE, or able to apply for certification within a reasonable timeframe.
Desirable
- PhD degree or equivalent research experience
Knowledge and Qualifications: Scientific and TechnicalExperience
Essential
- Specialist knowledge as a MR Safety Expert to act as the MRSE.
- Advanced theoretical and technical knowledge in MRI
- Knowledge of quality assurance of MRI equipment
- Knowledge and experience of clinical applications of MRI
- Understanding of relevant national standards, guidelines and legislations relevant to MRI including MHRA, IEC, CEMFAW, Caldicott, GDPR, COSHH and Health & Safety at Work Act
- Knowledge of DICOM standards and anonymization
Knowledge and Qualifications: Clinical
Essential
- Advanced knowledge of clinical practice and the role of MRI Physics
- Knowledge of relevant anatomy, physiology and pathology
- Good understanding of the hazards and risks of MRI in the clinical environment
- Knowledge and understanding of quality and risk management as they apply to MRI Physics
Knowledge and Qualifications: Management and Leadership
Essential
- Knowledge of how to offer effective supervision
- Understanding of quality and performance management and their application to MRI Physics
Desirable
- Knowledge of appropriate standard and systems of financial accountability in a public sector organisation
Experience: Scientific and Technical
Essential
- Experience of a scientific healthcare environment
- Experience of a variety of computing systems and application packages
- Experience of image acquisition with a clinical scanner
- Experience of image processing techniques
- Experience of quality assurance of clinical MRI equipment
- Experience in risk assessment and installation of MRI units, including manipulating MRI test objects, gaussmeters and acoustic noise meters with a high degree of accuracy to produce results within a narrow margin of error.
- Experience of at least one programming language used for research (eg python, matlab)
Experience: Management and Leadership
Essential
- Experience of providing services in a healthcare environment
- Experience of supervision, training and/or management of scientists / trainees
- Experience of identifying service development or research opportunities
- Experience of participating in committees / working groups involving scientific and technical information
Desirable
- Experience of managing resources within a project
- Experience of MRI Pulse sequence programming
- Experience of working with a Quality Management System
Skills and Abilities: Scientific and Clinical
Essential
- Ability to apply knowledge and experience in making judgements regarding the safe operation of clinical MRI equipment
- Ability to provide MRI safety advice in a clinical setting
- Ability to perform options appraisals based on a range of information and judgements
- Ability to provide advice on the use of clinical MRI equipment for patient diagnosis, management and treatment for routine care and when planning and implementing a research programme
- Skill at approaching scientific and technical problems in a logical manner
- Ability to initiate and self-manage Quality Improvement and translational Research projects
- Ability to introduce changes to improve the clinical service
- Ability to organise own workload
- Good computing skills including programming skills and using signal and image processing applications and knowledge of higher programming language (e.g. Matlab, Python etc.)
- Able to operate a range of clinical MRI systems
- Good data analysis skills
Skills and Abilities: Values
Essential
- Evidence of self-motivation, initiative and enthusiasm
Skills and Abilities: Values: Communication
Essential
- Good track record of disseminating scientific work through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations consistent with career stage
- Ability to produce clear and unambiguous reports and procedures which can be understood by staff and stakeholders from a variety of professions
- Ability to communicates complex information at postgraduate level to other professional groups
- Ability to communicate with patients in a relaxed, caring and professional manner
- Able to train groups of other professional staff
- Able to deliver teaching and training on complex subjects
- Ability to communicate with Trust management and convey technical information at an appropriate level
- Ability to create strong working relationships with other departments and external clients
- Ability to negotiate solutions to problems where conflicting views exist
- Able to deal with complex and unpredictable situations
Management and Leadership and Specific personal Qualities
Essential
- Ability to supervise trainees effectively and sympathetically
- Able to encourage colleagues and contribute positively to the team
- Ability to manage and direct senior and junior staff sensitively and effectively
- Ability to articulate and report the status of assigned projects and systems
- Able to exercise initiative to solve problems when dealing with issues within own specialist area of competence
- Able to prioritise and manage own time and workload under pressure
- Ability to act as a line manager
- Great attention to detail
- Commitment to develop and communicate the contribution of MRI Physics to healthcare
- Ability to use computer software to gather, organise and process information
- Willing to work some unsocial hours
- Willing to work with experimental models of disease
Desirable
- Research and development track record
- Record of presenting work at scientific meetings
Person Specification
Knowledge and Qualifications
Essential
- 1st or 2nd Honours degree in a Physical Science or equivalent
- Masters degree or equivalent experience
- State Registration as a Clinical Scientist with the HCPC
- Professional Institute Membership
- IPEM certification as an MRSE, or able to apply for certification within a reasonable timeframe.
Desirable
- PhD degree or equivalent research experience
Knowledge and Qualifications: Scientific and TechnicalExperience
Essential
- Specialist knowledge as a MR Safety Expert to act as the MRSE.
- Advanced theoretical and technical knowledge in MRI
- Knowledge of quality assurance of MRI equipment
- Knowledge and experience of clinical applications of MRI
- Understanding of relevant national standards, guidelines and legislations relevant to MRI including MHRA, IEC, CEMFAW, Caldicott, GDPR, COSHH and Health & Safety at Work Act
- Knowledge of DICOM standards and anonymization
Knowledge and Qualifications: Clinical
Essential
- Advanced knowledge of clinical practice and the role of MRI Physics
- Knowledge of relevant anatomy, physiology and pathology
- Good understanding of the hazards and risks of MRI in the clinical environment
- Knowledge and understanding of quality and risk management as they apply to MRI Physics
Knowledge and Qualifications: Management and Leadership
Essential
- Knowledge of how to offer effective supervision
- Understanding of quality and performance management and their application to MRI Physics
Desirable
- Knowledge of appropriate standard and systems of financial accountability in a public sector organisation
Experience: Scientific and Technical
Essential
- Experience of a scientific healthcare environment
- Experience of a variety of computing systems and application packages
- Experience of image acquisition with a clinical scanner
- Experience of image processing techniques
- Experience of quality assurance of clinical MRI equipment
- Experience in risk assessment and installation of MRI units, including manipulating MRI test objects, gaussmeters and acoustic noise meters with a high degree of accuracy to produce results within a narrow margin of error.
- Experience of at least one programming language used for research (eg python, matlab)
Experience: Management and Leadership
Essential
- Experience of providing services in a healthcare environment
- Experience of supervision, training and/or management of scientists / trainees
- Experience of identifying service development or research opportunities
- Experience of participating in committees / working groups involving scientific and technical information
Desirable
- Experience of managing resources within a project
- Experience of MRI Pulse sequence programming
- Experience of working with a Quality Management System
Skills and Abilities: Scientific and Clinical
Essential
- Ability to apply knowledge and experience in making judgements regarding the safe operation of clinical MRI equipment
- Ability to provide MRI safety advice in a clinical setting
- Ability to perform options appraisals based on a range of information and judgements
- Ability to provide advice on the use of clinical MRI equipment for patient diagnosis, management and treatment for routine care and when planning and implementing a research programme
- Skill at approaching scientific and technical problems in a logical manner
- Ability to initiate and self-manage Quality Improvement and translational Research projects
- Ability to introduce changes to improve the clinical service
- Ability to organise own workload
- Good computing skills including programming skills and using signal and image processing applications and knowledge of higher programming language (e.g. Matlab, Python etc.)
- Able to operate a range of clinical MRI systems
- Good data analysis skills
Skills and Abilities: Values
Essential
- Evidence of self-motivation, initiative and enthusiasm
Skills and Abilities: Values: Communication
Essential
- Good track record of disseminating scientific work through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations consistent with career stage
- Ability to produce clear and unambiguous reports and procedures which can be understood by staff and stakeholders from a variety of professions
- Ability to communicates complex information at postgraduate level to other professional groups
- Ability to communicate with patients in a relaxed, caring and professional manner
- Able to train groups of other professional staff
- Able to deliver teaching and training on complex subjects
- Ability to communicate with Trust management and convey technical information at an appropriate level
- Ability to create strong working relationships with other departments and external clients
- Ability to negotiate solutions to problems where conflicting views exist
- Able to deal with complex and unpredictable situations
Management and Leadership and Specific personal Qualities
Essential
- Ability to supervise trainees effectively and sympathetically
- Able to encourage colleagues and contribute positively to the team
- Ability to manage and direct senior and junior staff sensitively and effectively
- Ability to articulate and report the status of assigned projects and systems
- Able to exercise initiative to solve problems when dealing with issues within own specialist area of competence
- Able to prioritise and manage own time and workload under pressure
- Ability to act as a line manager
- Great attention to detail
- Commitment to develop and communicate the contribution of MRI Physics to healthcare
- Ability to use computer software to gather, organise and process information
- Willing to work some unsocial hours
- Willing to work with experimental models of disease
Desirable
- Research and development track record
- Record of presenting work at scientific meetings
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details
Employer name
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing, University College London Hospital
25 Grafton Way
London
WC1E 6DB
Employer's website
https://www.uclh.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)
