John Cotterill

Experience

• 

  AET Swim School

  Jan 2011 - Jan 2016

  Swimming Teacher and Lifeguard
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  University of Birmingham

  Jul 2018 - Jan 2021

  Cancers located in the head and neck, as well as cancers in children, benefit from the achievable dose distributions with proton radiotherapy. pCT offers the potential for reduced uncertainties when planning cancer treatments using protons, in comparison to the x-ray CT currently performed clinically. A suitable pCT device would allow for more targeted proton treatments, resulting in reduced mortality and side effects. The device could also be envisioned to make proton therapy a viable treatment modality for other cancers, where clinical studies are yet to show an advantage over traditional x-ray techniques. My research has included Geant4 simulation and experimental investigations using silicon detection technologies from high energy particle physics to develop such a device. An understanding of medical physics and clinical oncology has been fundamental to ensure performance requirements are met, and it is practical for clinical use. One study motivated design decisions for a pCT device as part of the OPTIma group, which is to be installed in the Proton Beam Therapy Centre at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester (one of the two new NHS proton therapy facilities). I have also worked to further progress a compact pCT design proposed with the PRaVDA group.My research culminated in the development of my own approach to pCT, which through both simulation and experiment has shown incredibly promising results. Show less I was voted in by the UoB Gymnastics Club members as Club President to lead the committee and club. I was the main contact between the University and committee/members, requiring clear and concise relaying of information. I arranged and led regular meetings with the committee to discuss allocation of tasks, scheduled all training, coaching, and employment by the club. With the assistance of the committee, I planned and ran a national gymnastics competition for universities in order to raise funds for the club and for charity. This was a successful year which culminated in the club achieving first place at the British University and Colleges Sport (BUCS) National Championships for the first time in its history. Show less

  • PhD Researcher

    Sept 2016 - Jan 2021

  • Undergraduate Laboratory Demonstrator

    Sept 2016 - Aug 2020

  • Club President - UoB Gymnastics Club

    Jul 2018 - Jun 2019
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  University of Birmingham

  May 2021 - Sept 2021

  Postdoctoral Research Fellow

  I continued in a research position at the University of Birmingham to further the developments I made on a scattering approach to proton Computed Tomography during my PhD.

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  National Physical Laboratory (NPL)

  Sept 2021 - now

  Higher Research Scientist