Ms. Beatriz Allyne D. Carandang, Assistant Professor at the Department of Physical Sciences and Mathematics (DPSM), College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Manila, participated in a Visiting Researcher Program at the University of Wollongong (UOW), Australia from January 16 to June 10, 2026.
Funded by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Marie Sklodowska Curie Fellowship Program, the research visit was hosted by Dr. Susanna Guatelli, in collaboration with Dr. David Bolst. During the program, Carandang conducted research on the Monte Carlo simulation of a kilovoltage X-ray irradiator using Geant4, an internationally recognized toolkit for modelling the interaction of radiation with matter. Her work focused on developing a comprehensive simulation pipeline that models radiation transport across multiple scales, from the irradiator itself to its effects on cellular structures. As part of the project, she developed a detailed Geant4 model of a 130 kVp X-ray cell and animal irradiator, encompassing irradiator geometry construction, X-ray beam characterization, and dosimetric validation. The simulated dose distributions were benchmarked against experimental film dosimetry measurements to verify the accuracy of the computational model. Building on this validated macroscale model, the research is now being extended to Geant4-DNA, incorporating realistic cell-level geometries to investigate radiation-induced DNA damage at the microscopic scale.
The research visit further strengthens the collaborative partnership among the University of the Philippines Manila, the Centre for Medical Radiation Physics at the University of Wollongong, and the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute.