Department of Physics & Atmospheric Science

Faculty of Science

Graduate Programs: Medical Physics

Medical physics applies physics to the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Research in our Medical Physics program addresses real health care challenges, and it's led by practising medical physicists and imaging scientists, so your work can translate into patient care.

Research spans two main areas:

  • Medical imaging: magnetic resonance imaging (including low-field and quantitative MRI), positron emission tomography and molecular imaging, neuroimaging, and image reconstruction and analysis.
  • Radiation therapy: treatment planning and delivery, including stereotactic, adaptive and trajectory-based radiotherapy; radiation detectors and dosimetry; brachytherapy; and artificial intelligence for radiotherapy.

Many projects take place in hospital treatment and imaging facilities, alongside the clinical teams who use them.

An accredited program

Our MSc, PhD and Graduate Diploma in Medical Physics are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs (CAMPEP), the credential needed for admission to medical physics residency training and, ultimately, clinical certification.

Where graduates go

Graduates go on to:

  • residency training in imaging or radiation therapy physics
  • careers in clinical medical physics
  • careers in research, industry and academia

How the program works

  • Degrees: you complete the Medical Physics core curriculum in your first year, then focus on your thesis research. See Degrees and Requirements for the MSc, PhD and Graduate Diploma.
  • Funding: every full-time student is funded (see Funding).
  • Applying: start with the same free pre-application as for Physics. Medical Physics applicants must apply by January 1 to be considered for September admission (see How to Apply).

For more about the program, including research opportunities and graduate life, visit the Medical Physics program site.

Our faculty

Interested in working with someone below? Pre-apply for free, then email them about your interests.

Timothy Bardouille

Steven Beyea

  • Interests: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Medical imaging, Diagnostics, Image reconstruction, Image analysis, Low-field MRI
  • Methods: Experimental, Clinical
  • Email: steven.beyea@dal.ca

Kimberly Brewer

  • Interests: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Positron emission tomography (PET), Molecular imaging, Machine learning, Theranostics
  • Methods: Experimental, Clinical
  • Email: brewerk@dal.ca

Krista Chytyk-Praznik

  • Interests: High-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy, 3D-printing, Total marrow irradiation, Dosimetric verification
  • Methods: Clinical
  • Email: krista.chytyk-praznik@nshealth.ca

Dal Granville

  • Interests: Deep learning cone-beam CT (CBCT) image synthesis, Automated AI radiotherapy planning, Virtual reality anatomical modelling
  • Methods: Computational, Clinical
  • Email: dal.granville@nshealth.ca

Javeria Hashmi

  • Interests: Theoretical neuroscience, Graphs, Network analysis, Computational neuroscience, Neuroimaging, Functional MRI, Cognition, Pain
  • Methods: Experimental, Computational, Clinical
  • Website: Hashmi research website
  • Email: javeria.hashmi@dal.ca

Allan Hupman

  • Interests: Plastic scintillation detectors, Organic photodiode dosimetry, Small-field dosimetry, Monte Carlo detector optimization
  • Methods: Experimental, Computational, Clinical
  • Email: michael.hupman@nshealth.ca

Lee MacDonald

  • Interests: Adaptive radiotherapy, Dynamic trajectory radiation therapy, Conformal Aperture SRS, Motion management and dose robustness
  • Methods: Clinical
  • Email: lee.macdonald@nshealth.ca

Logan Montgomery

  • Interests: Adaptive radiotherapy, Stereotactic radiotherapy, Informatics, Automation, Medical imaging techniques
  • Methods: Experimental, Computational, Clinical
  • Email: logan.montgomery@nshealth.ca

Patricia Oliver

  • Interests: Radiation dosimetry, Monte Carlo simulations, Radiation detectors, In vivo dosimetry, Transit dosimetry, Image-guided radiotherapy
  • Methods: Experimental, Computational, Clinical
  • Email: patricia2.oliver@nshealth.ca

Cristiano Reis

  • Interests: Stereotactic arrhythmia radioablation (STAR), Cardiac gating in STAR, Monte Carlo simulation in radiation therapy, Dosimetry
  • Methods: Experimental, Computational, Clinical
  • Email: cristiano.reis@nshealth.ca

James Rioux

  • Interests: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Image reconstruction, Contrast mechanisms, Image processing & analysis, Machine learning
  • Methods: Experimental, Computational, Clinical
  • Email: james.rioux@dal.ca

Mike Sattarivand

  • Interests: Image-guided radiation therapy, Dual energy x-ray imaging, Stereoscopic image guidance, Ethos Hyper Sight imaging
  • Methods: Experimental, Clinical
  • Email: mike.sattarivand@nshealth.ca

Tynan Stevens

  • Interests: Radiotherapy, Medical imaging, Machine learning, Artificial intelligence, Treatment planning
  • Methods: Clinical
  • Email: tynan.stevens@nshealth.ca

Alasdair Syme

  • Interests: Radiation detectors, Radiation dosimetry, Trajectory radiotherapy, Radioembolization
  • Methods: Experimental, Clinical
  • Email: alasdair.syme@nshealth.ca

Chris Thomas

  • Interests: Trajectory optimization of radiotherapy delivery systems, AI for radiotherapy, Stereotactic radiotherapy
  • Methods: Experimental, Computational, Clinical
  • Email: chris.thomas@nshealth.ca

Next steps