Nels Knutson

Nels Knutson, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology and Chief of Clinical Medical Physics at Washington University School of Medicine, where he has been faculty since 2016. He holds board certification in Therapeutic Radiological Physics from the American Board of Radiology (2015).

Education includes:

• BA Physics, University of Montana (2007)
• BA Mathematics, University of Montana (2009)
• MS Medical Physics & Health Physics, Louisiana State University (2012)
• Medical Physics Residency, Washington University (2014)
• PhD Medical Physics, University of Massachusetts Lowell (2018)

His research focuses on advancing radiation therapy techniques, particularly in automated linear accelerator commissioning, proton therapy optimization, and quality assurance methodologies. Key innovations include developing motion management systems and automated planning routines to improve treatment accuracy and efficiency in clinical settings.

Dr. Knutson's 42+ publications demonstrate consistent focus on improving radiotherapy delivery systems, with recent work emphasizing: predictive quality assurance models, adaptive planning techniques, and novel motion management approaches using surface guidance and CBCT integration.

He leads the Clinical Medical Physics division and collaborates extensively on developing next-generation radiotherapy solutions, including Gamma Knife systems and Monte Carlo dose calculation frameworks.