Magdalena received her BSc in Physical Engineering at the Czech Technical University in Prague in 2003 and her PhD in Medical Physics at McGill University in 2008. In 2009, she started her postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University and three years later she was promoted to an Instructor at the same institution. Apart from advancing her academic career, Magdalena enjoyed working at the Stanford Hospital as a part-time clinical medical physicist. Magdalena joined the Department of Physics and Astronomy as an Assistant Professor in July of 2015. Her CV can be downloaded here.
Magdalena likes science very much and would like to fullfill her long-lasting dream of doing medical physics research in a self-built cabin at a lake in Canada. Apart from research, Magdalena loves to spend time outdoors: she enjoys rock climbing, ice-climbing, back-country skiing, mountaineering, and biking. She climbed the highest peak of the Americas at 6964 m and crossed western Canada (Vancouver to Winnipeg) on her bicycle. At conferences, you are likely to see her climbing up streets poles, bar walls, or any vertical rock-resembling surfaces (mouse over her photo).

Jade graduated from the University of Calgary in 2022 with a B.Sc in physics. During her undergrad, Jade worked on a variety of research projects including projects in chemistry and complexity science. She ultimately was drawn to medical physics. Her work included projects on functional treatment planning for liver SBRT and machine learning for medical image translation. Through her graduate education, she is excited to learn about novel techniques and apply those skills to improve treatment methods and outcomes for patients.
Jade is very excited to begin graduate school in a city where she can pursue her favorite activities such as climbing, hiking, and ultimate frisbee for a few more months of the year. That being said, she will miss the snowy winters of Alberta because she is also a big fan of winter sports such as skiing, ringette, and sledding (which definitely counts as a sport).

Olivia received her BSc in Physics from the University of Waterloo in 2022. Starting from her second year as an undergrad, she worked as a co-op student and subsequently as a volunteer at the Grand River Cancer Centre, performing QA duties and researching cell-simulation methods. Olivia's research allowed her to work closely with a 3D Multi-Scale cell modelling software ultimately leading to an undergraduate thesis investigating simulated chemotherapy on a simulated prostate tumour model. Her interest in Medical Physics came quickly and suddenly once exposed to the field leaving her excited to begin her master's at the University of Victoria.
In her spare time, Olivia enjoys cooking, trying new restaurants, spending time with friends, and exploring new sceneries. Additionally, with a newfound love for running, Olivia's looking forward to discovering beautiful Vancouver Island while pushing herself to beat her personal bests.

Nathan has been in the XCITE Lab since 2021. He has worked on spectral CT, SFRT, FLASH, VHEE, KOALA, and recently on ion beams. His research is primarily Monte Carlo simulation-based and also includes radiochromic film dosimetry of novel beamlines. Currently, his work includes Monte Carlo simulation of heavy ion beams and VHEE beams and he recently performed film dosimetry on a LWFA VHEE beam at INRS in Montreal. In his free time, he likes going to the gym and playing volleyball.

Olivia graduated from the University of Waterloo in 2024 with a BSc in Life Physics and specialization in Medical Physics. During her undergraduate degree, she worked as a co-op student at London Health Sciences Centre performing machine- and patient-specific quality assurance assessments, as well as discovered a new process of casting radiochromic gels into sphere moldings to explore gel dosimetry in smaller samples. Her interest in Medical Physics expanded even further while being a volunteer at Grand River Cancer Centre where she investigated radiation response in tumour spheroids with optical coherence tomography, leading her to an undergraduate thesis. She is eager to learn more about novel techniques within this field, such as FLASH radiotherapy.
Olivia is extremely excited to begin graduate school on beautiful Vancouver Island where she will spend her free time hiking, running, and swimming at every beach she can find. She also looks forward to training for triathlons in this breathtaking scenery and tough elevation.

Laura received her BSc in Physics with a specialization in particle physics from the Université de Montréal. During her undergrad, she completed research internships in medical and particle physics at CHUM and at CERN, focusing on Monte Carlo simulations and Computer Aided Design for healthcare applications. Laura’s research will help bring novel accelerators closer to the clinic in the hopes of bettering radiotherapy treatment.
In her spare time, she takes advantage of Victoria’s lack of winter and amazing scenery to hike all year long.

Maggie graduated from the University of Waterloo with a BSc in Physics and Astronomy in 2025. During her undergrad, she completed co-op placements across a range of physics research areas, including low-background particle physics, high-energy gamma-ray spectroscopy, adaptive optics for astronomy, and nuclear safeguards and security. Maggie discovered the field of medical physics at an undergraduate conference and was drawn to the real-world impact, cutting-edge technologies, and research possibilities that it presented. Now pursuing her master’s, she is excited to learn more about medical physics and gain experience in the lab.
Outside of her academics, Maggie loves hiking, swimming, biking, and running. She enjoys reading sci-fi books, drinking tea, and knitting. She is looking forward to exploring Vancouver Island in her camper-converted minivan, as well as trying new adventures such as outdoor rock climbing and surfing.

Dennis is a 4th year undergraduate Physics student from the University of the Fraser Valley. He is joining as a summer student focusing on SFRT research. In his free time, he enjoys playing the piano, spending time with friends, travelling, and going for long hikes.