Kira Grogg
Wakefield, MA
New Haven, CT
Objective
Experienced researcher, teacher, and programmer in the fields of high energy physics and medical imaging
Certification
- American Board of Science in Nuclear Medicine (ABSNM) - Nuclear Medicine Physics and Instrumentation Specialty
Education
- Certificate Program in Medical Physics, March 2019
- Harvard Medical Physics Residency Program
- Ph.D. High Energy Physics (GPA 3.9/4.0), August 2011
- University of Wisconsin–Madison
- Advisor: Wesley Smith
- B.A. Physics and Astronomy (GPA 3.7/4.0), June 2005
- Carleton College
Experience
- Research Scientist, February 2024 - present
Yale PET Center, Yale School of Medicine- Data Management
- Web development
- Dosimetry
- Training
- Instructor / Associate in Physics , June 2015 - January 2024
Zhu Lab | El Fakhri Lab
Gordon Center for Medical Imaging
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School (HMS)
- – Continuing my work using Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging to monitor Proton Beam Therapy
- – Applying kinetic modeling techniques to dynamic PET images taken after proton therapy to correct for biological washout
- – Providing performance evaluations of the NeuroPET/CT (used for the PET monitoring of proton therapy project)
- – Performing scans on the NeuroPET/CT and reconstructing dynamic images for other research studies (sheep lung, monkey brain, and human brain imaging)
- – Providing clincial physics quality control for in Nuclear Medicine, Nuclear Cardiology, and PET at MGH.
- Research Assistant , November 2011 - June 2015
Gordon Center for Medical Imaging (GCMI)
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School (HMS)
- – Contributing to the development of a novel approach for adaptive Positron Emission Tomography (PET) monitoring of Proton Beam Therapy using endogenously generated positrons
- – Creating a routine for quick but comprehensive verification of dose range after proton therapy
- – Developing the use of a new mobile PET/CT system for better verification accuracy
- Research Assistant , May 2006 - 2011
Compact Muon Solenoid at the Large Hadron Collider, CERN, Switzerland
- – Based in France/Switzerland working on the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector
- – Provided unfolding of the jet multiplicity and uncertainty calculations for a V+jets analysis
- – Provided a cross check of the W+jets portion of the analysis
- – Helped launch the Regional Calorimeter Trigger (RCT) part of the CMS detector
- The RCT is a 20 crate, 2000 board high-speed custom electronics system that processes information from particle collisions at a rate of 400 Gb/s.
- – Developed software for testing the RCT hardware and verifying correct functionality
- – Developed software and a graphical user interface using a PVSS framework to monitor and control the RCT functionality
- – Used statistical software (ROOT) to analyze physics signals and contribute to a first analysis for CMS
- Teaching Assistant , Aug 2005 - Dec 2006
University of Wisconsin–Madison
- – Led discussion classes and physics labs for three large, introductory undergraduate courses: Mechanics, Electromagnetism, and non-calculus based Electromagnetism
- – Collaborated with professors and other teaching assistants to develop homework assignments, quizzes, and labs
- Project Assistant , June 2004 - Aug 2004 and June 2005 - Aug 2005
IceCube Group – University of Wisconsin–Madison
- – Worked as a team to set up a local testing facility for digital optical modules (DOMs) to simulate conditions in Antarctica
- – Constructed and tested prototypes of circuit boards to interface with the DOMs
- – Wrote program to analyze local test results of the DOMs and assess their noise levels
- Undergraduate Research Assistant, Lab Assistant, and Grader, March 2003 - June 2005
Carleton College
- – Research: Learned the principles behind MRIs; measured blood flow through vessels in the brain using MRI data
- – Lab assistant: Supervised and advised groups of over 20 students conducting labs for two classes, Physics of Laboratory Instrumentation and Atomic and Nuclear Physics
- – Grader: Elementary Physics, Electricity and Magnetism, Atomic and Nuclear Physics, Computer Simulations in Complex Physical Systems, Classical Mechanics
Research Activities
June 2015 - January 2024
Instructor at Massachusetts General Hospital / Harvard Medical School
El Fakhri lab
K07 Award: "Precision Personalized Proton Therapy through Advanced Imaging Technology"
The goal of the proposed research program is to develop methods that will concurrently reduce the uncertainty in treatment planning for proton therapy and create a clinically viable system for in vivo verification of proton therapy through the combined use of positron emission tomography (PET) and dual-energy computed tomography (DECT). More accurate treatment plans, and the ability to modify treatment plans based on feedback from the PET imaging, will result in improved treatment outcomes and reduced side effects for proton therapy patients.
- Monitoring dose delivery using PET/DECT imaging
- Using dual-energy CT imaging to improve dose planning and PET Monte Carlo Simulations
November 2011 - May 2015
Research Fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital / Harvard Medical School
El Fakhri lab
Development of adaptive Positron Emission Tomography (PET) monitoring of Proton Beam Therapy
- Verification of dose range using PET imaging
- – Created a Matlab routine for quick but comprehensive range veri cation between planned dose and PET image
- – Used both realistic Monte Carlo simulations and patient data to test the strategy
- Exploring the added benefit of combining PET and CT modalities for better verification accuracy
- – Developing the use of a mobile NeuroPET/CT system that can be used shortly after irradiation to image radioactive isotopes produced from protons interacting with tissue
- – The CT system can be used for better co-registration with planned dose and improved Monte Carlo simulation
May 2006 - 2011
Research Assistant at University of Wisconsin-Madison
Based at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, Switzerland
Data Analysis with CMS: V+Jets Group
- Measured W bosons produced in association with jets
- – Measured the cross-section as a function of the number of jets reconstructed
- – Provided unfolding of the jet multiplicity distribution for the V+Jets group analysis
- – Implemented final calculation of statistical and systematic errors and final cross section results to the V+Jets Physics Analysis Summary (paper to follow)
- Presented poster at Hard Probes 2010, "Jet reconstruction and first W/Z+jets measurements with √s = 7 TeV pp collisions data at CMS experiment"
- Presented poster at LHCC students' poster session, "Rates of Jets Produced in Association with W and Z Bosons in pp Collisions at √s = 7 TeV"
CMS hardware work on trigger electronics: Regional Calorimeter Trigger (RCT) Group
- Continued development of the detector control system (DCS) for the RCT using the commercial software package PVSS and the CERN JCOP framework.
- – Performed regular monitoring of the hardware status
- Continued development of software to test the functionality of the RCT
- – First, verified that the hardware emulation program functioned according to the hardware specifications
- – Next, interfaced the hardware emulation with the output from the hardware itself to verify correct functioning
- – Developed a series of tests run regularly to identify possible problems arising in the electronics
Skills
- Computer Languages:
C/C++, Bash shell scripts, LaTeX, python, MATLAB
- Some experience with Java, Perl, HTML/CSS, PHP/MySQL
- Operating Systems: 15 years experience with Scientific Linux and OS X, 15+ years with Windows
- Applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator, ROOT (statistics software), MATLAB
- Languages: French (Intermediate)