Dr Joseph Bateman, a DPhil alumnus of the John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science in the Department of Physics, has been awarded the 2025 Institute of Physics Medical Physics Group PhD Prize for his thesis on detector development for FLASH radiotherapy dosimetry, under the supervision of Professor Manjit Dosanjh.
FLASH radiotherapy is a promising new cancer treatment that delivers radiation at extremely high dose rates in a fraction of a second as opposed to over a matter of days or weeks in conventional radiotherapy. Research suggests it may spare healthy tissue while remaining effective against tumours, but a critical challenge needs to be addressed before clinical adoption: standard dosimetry methods fail at the extreme speeds and intensities involved.
Dr Bateman's doctoral research, conducted jointly at Oxford and at the CERN Linear Electron Accelerator for Research (CLEAR), addressed this problem by developing new measurement techniques for Very High Energy Electron (VHEE) (100-250 MeV) FLASH beams. He worked on developing a novel detector, based on silica optical fibres that generate Cherenkov radiation, which is capable of monitoring the intensity and profile of individual electron beam pulses that are just nanoseconds in length. He also established a robust method for high throughput dose measurements in this new ultrahigh dose rate (UHDR) regime using radiochromic films, which were used by numerous research groups worldwide for FLASH research at the CLEAR facility and enabled the first experimental demonstration of the FLASH effect using VHEE beams.
‘What is so exciting about this field of research is that FLASH radiotherapy sits at the frontier of so many disciplines at once – accelerator physics, medical physics, radiobiology, and clinical oncology,' comments Dr Bateman. 'It is precisely that convergence that makes it such a rewarding field to work in. Having the opportunity throughout my DPhil to collaborate with research groups from across the world at CERN's CLEAR facility, and to gain hands-on experience both operating a particle accelerator and performing experiments there was an extraordinary privilege. I'm deeply honoured that the IOP Medical Physics Group has recognised this work, and I hope it contributes to the foundation needed to bring FLASH radiotherapy closer to clinical translation.’
Dr Manjit Dosanjh, Joseph's former doctoral supervisor, commented: 'Huge congratulations to my former student Joseph Bateman on winning the IOP Medical Physics PhD Prize for his DPhil thesis – I could not be more delighted. Joseph's research made important contributions to FLASH radiotherapy research – from optimising dosimetry for VHEE FLASH experiments at the CLEAR facility to developing a novel silica fibre array detector for FLASH beam monitoring – is thoroughly well-deserved of this recognition.'
The IOP panel noted the exceptional standard of submissions this year, highlighting Dr Bateman's work for its scientific excellence, originality, and clear impact within the field. He will be invited to speak at a future Medical Physics Group meeting.