STAFF PROFILE
Professor Rick Franich
Position:
Professor
College / Portfolio:
STEM College
School / Department:
STEM|School of Science
Phone:
+61399253390
Email:
rick.franich@rmit.edu.au
Campus:
City Campus
Contact me about:
Research supervision
Research area
Medical Physics, Radiation, Health Physics
Research activities
Research Interests
- Dosimetric Modelling in Radiotherapy
- Characterisation of External Beam and Brachytherapy sources for Radiotherapy
- Monte Carlo simulation of radiation transport with applications to Ion Beam Analysis
- Heavy Ion Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis of surfaces and thin films
- Gamma Ray Spectroscopy of lung burdens in workers involved in the mining and milling of radioactive ores
Research projects
- Radiation Delivery to a Moving Target - RMIT Institute for Sustainable Health and Well-Being project conducted in collaboration with Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
- Characterisation and Improvement of Radiation Beams used for Radiotherapy of Small Lesions. -Australian Research Council Linkage Project conducted jointly by RMIT and the William Buckland Radiotherapy Centre at The Alfred Hospital.
- In vivo Assessment of Radiation Dose from Inhalation of Radioactive Dust in the Mining and Milling of Radioactive Ores. - Australian Research Council Linkage Project conducted jointly by RMIT and the Australian Radiation Protection And Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA).
Accomplishments
Grants and awards
- 2007 RMIT Emerging Researcher Grant.
Consultancy
- Consultant to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) advisory group to direct the activities of the IAEA Coordinated Research Project: Improvement of the Reliability and Accuracy of Heavy Ion Beam Nuclear Analytical Techniques.
Teaching awards
- 2007 Nominated for Student’s Choice Teaching Award as part of the SET Pro-Vice Chancellor's Teaching Quality Awards
- 2005 Student’s Choice Teaching Award nominee
- 1999 Lecturer of the Year Award (2nd year) from the RMIT Physics Students Association
- Program Coordinator: Master of Applied Science (Medical and Health Physics)
- Course Coordinator: PHYS2089 Medical Imaging Physics; PHYS2090 Radiation Physics and Radiation Protection; PHYS2092 Radiation Transport Modelling and Radiotherapy Physics
- Lecturer: PHYS2076 Quantum Mechanics and Radiation Physics; PHYS1083 Advanced Laboratory Techniques; PHYS2074 Photonics and Nuclear Physics
- Previous: Radiation Laboratory Techniques, Classical Mechanics, Optics Laboratory; Medical Radiations Courses: Nuclear Medicine Technology, Radiological Imaging Technology, Medical Radiation Technology; Service Physics (for students of external departments and faculties): Instrumentation, Radiation and Thermodynamics, Satellite Physics, Optics, Mechanics.
- Bachelor of Science with Honours – Applied Mathematics, La Trobe University, 1989
- Diploma of Education, La Trobe University, 1991
- Doctor of Philosophy (Applied Physics), RMIT University, 2007
- Hanlon, M.,Smith, R.,Franich, R. (2022). MaxiCalc: A tool for online dosimetric evaluation of source-tracking based treatment verification in HDR brachytherapy In: Physica Medica, 94, 58 - 64
- Hegarty, S.,Hardcastle, N.,Korte, J.,Kron, T.,Franich, R., et al, . (2022). Please Place Your Seat in the Full Upright Position: A Technical Framework for Landing Upright Radiation Therapy in the 21st Century In: Frontiers in Oncology, 12, 1 - 7
- Tabatabaie, F.,Franich, R.,Feltis, B.,Geso, M. (2022). Oxidative Damage to Mitochondria Enhanced by Ionising Radiation and Gold Nanoparticles in Cancer Cells In: International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23, 1 - 13
- Kumar, K.,Gulal, O.,Franich, R.,Kron, T. (2021). A validation framework to assess performance of commercial deformable image registration in lung radiotherapy In: Physica Medica, 87, 106 - 114
- Moshovelis, L.,Franich, R.,Iles, G. (2021). Ionizing radiation dose distributions on board habitable modules of the international space station In: Proceedings of the19th Australian International Aerospace Congress (AIAC 2021), Australia, 29 November - 1 December 2021
- Garrett, L.,Hardcastle, N.,Yeo, A.,Lonski, P.,Franich, R.,Kron, T. (2021). Out-of-field dose in stereotactic radiotherapy for paediatric patients In: Physics and Imaging in Radiation Oncology, 19, 1 - 5
- Gagliardi, F.,Franich, R.,Geso, M. (2020). Nanoparticle dose enhancement of synchrotron radiation in PRESAGE dosimeters In: Journal of Synchrotron Radiation, 27, 1590 - 1600
- Foroughimehr, N.,Yavari, A.,Hanlon, M.,Wallace, J.,Smith, R.,Franich, R. (2020). Data-driven Optimisation of in vivo Radioactive Source-tracking for Real-time Cancer Radiotherapy Treatment Verification In: Proceedings of the 2020 Australasian Computer Science Week Multiconference (ACSW 2020), Melbourne, Australia, 3 -7 February 2020
- Leary, M.,Tino, R.,Keller, C.,Franich, R.,Yeo, A.,Lonski, P.,Kyriakou, E.,Kron, T.,Brandt, M. (2019). Additive Manufacture of Lung Equivalent Anthropomorphic Phantoms: A Method to Control Hounsfield Number Utilizing Partial Volume Effect In: Journal of Engineering and Science in Medical Diagnostics and Therapy, 3, 1 - 21
- Gagliardi, F.,Franich, R.,Geso, M. (2018). Dose response and stability of water equivalent PRESAGE® dosimeters for synchrotron radiation therapy dosimetry In: Physics in Medicine and Biology, 63, 1 - 9
- Establishment of Department of Health Associate Professor of Medical Physics. Funded by: Department of Health (State of Victoria) Contract from (2013 to 2018)
- Radiation oncology medical physics conjoint academic posts. Administered by University of Sydney. Funded by: Department of Health and Ageing Contract from (2013 to 2014)
- The national medical physics university network. Administered by University of Sydney. Funded by: Department of Health and Ageing Contract from (2013 to 2014)
- Real-time treatment verification system for high dose rate brachytherapy treatment of prostate cancer. Funded by: Department of Health and Ageing Contract from (2010 to 2014)
- Improvement of radiotherapy using hardened-beam imaging. Funded by: The CASS Foundation Science and Medicine Grant pre-2014 from (2010 to 2010)
Note: Supervision projects since 2004
9 PhD Completions and 16 Masters by Research Completions9 PhD Current Supervisions and 1 Masters by Research Current Supervisions
Medical and Radiotherapy Physics, radiation transport modelling, Health Physics, Ion Beam Analysis