Research Opportunities

Mission Statement

The goal of clinical and translational research in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania is to develop novel, more effective treatment regimens/paradigms for cancer based on cutting-edge scientific discoveries, leveraging particular Penn strengths. To that end, we conduct pilot, phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials. Promising new approaches are then presented to national cooperative groups to be validated in phase 3 trials.

Our research is focused on 5 themes:

• Personalized medicine
• Immunology, immunotherapy and radiation
• Tumor microenvironment, and its interaction with radiation and PDT
• Radiation Response Modifiers
• Novel Technologies (including Protons and FLASH research)

Faculty Leadership

• Costas Koumenis, Ph.D., Vice Chair of Research and Richard H. Chamberlain Professor
• John Plastaras, M.D., Ph.D., Vice Chair of Strategic Clinical Research and Professor
• Edgar Ben-Josef, M.D., Vice Chair of Translational Research and Professor

Undergraduate research 

• Summer Undergraduate Program for Educating Radiation Scientists (SUPERS)
  SUPERS@PENN is a ten week summer research program hosted by the Department of Radiation Oncology, Division of Research. 
  *Open to rising college Juniors and Seniors within and outside UPenn
• Work Study positions
  Undergraduate research assistant positions are listed on the Student Employment Office webpage
  *For UPenn students

Graduate research

• Biomedical Graduate Studies (BGS)
  Our faculty are accepting students in the following Doctoral program graduate groups at BGS, housed within the Perelman School of Medicine: Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, Cell & Molecular Biology, and Pharmacology

Postdoctoral research

• Biomedical Postdoctoral Programs
  Open postdoc positions will be posted here