Exploring Physics Career Paths for Cancer Research

[vorcil]

I've got one more year left of undergraduate study and I need to decide what area I want to specialize in,

I want to specialize in an area that deals with cancer/chemo kind of stuff (i.e I want to implement physics in cancer research)

So was thinking of specializing in either Optics or Medical physics, I don't know which one to choose given they both seem really related but are quite different in content, I also have 3 years of computer science under the belt so I don't know if that'll help or not.

any information related to this would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Choppy]

Medical physics has certainly been a great direction for me, although it is becoming a very competative field to get into with a lot of hoops to jump through. The difference between it and other branches of physics is that there is more of a professional component. Medical physicists will have clinical duties in addition to the research they pursue (some positions may be completely clinical).

Ideally, if you want to go this path you should look into a CAMPEP-accredited graduate program as these will give you the most options down the road for entering the profession. Additionally, if you have the choice, I would aim for a program that emphasizes research and includes a more traditional graduate-level physics background (ie. in addition to "didactic course work, will also include requirements for courses like E&M and quantum). Such programs are more challenging, but will give you a more diverse skill set, ultimately making you more marketable once you finish.

A computer science background will certainly help in this field. Medical physics research is often computationally intensive involving image processing, deformable image registration, Monte Carlo simulations, treatment planning optimisation, etc.