Research Assistant/Associate AI & Neuroinformatics (Fixed Term)

Key Skills

AI technology, Bioinformatics, Data science techniques, Effective communication skills, Machine learning techniques

Job Description

A Research Associate (post-doc) or Research Assistant position in AI and Neuroinformatics is available to work with Prof Zoe Kourtzi at the Adaptive Brain Lab (https://www.abg.psychol.cam.ac.uk).

The position will focus on developing and translating AI-guided tools for a) understanding brain processes underlying cognition (e.g. learning and brain plasticity), b) early detection of brain and mental health disorders to inform clinical practice (healthcare, clinical trials). The research will involve working on research cohort and clinical data, developing and applying machine learning models to synthesise biological (brain imaging, genetic) and cognitive, epidemiological data, validating AI-guided tools in clinical data, translating these tools for adoption in healthcare and industry settings.

The research activity is at the core of a Wellcome Trust funded Innovator Award that brings together multidisciplinary experts in neuroscience (Prof Zoe Kourtzi, Adaptive Brain Lab), machine learning (Prof Carola Schönlieb, Department of Applied Maths and Theoretical Physics, Cambridge Image Analysis (CIA) Group), clinical practice (Dr Tim Rittman, Clinical Neuroscience), clinical informatics (Prof Guy Williams, Clinical Neuroscience) with healthcare innovation (Eastern AHSN) and pharmaceutical industry partners (AstraZeneca). Our work on early prediction of dementia has already gathered significant media interest (e.g. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-57934589) and has potential to deliver transformative applications in clinical practice.

You will receive multi-disciplinary research training at the interface between machine learning, neuroscience, and clinical translation. You will be an integrated member of the Cambridge Image Analysis (CIA) Group at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics and the Cambridge Mathematics of Information in Healthcare Hub: https://www.cmih.maths.cam.ac.uk lead by Prof Carola Schönlieb. These centres foster collaborations between mathematics, statistics, computer science, medicine and industry (e.g. AstraZeneca) aiming to develop analytics tools for healthcare. You will work with teams at the Alan Turing Institute (https://www.turing.ac.uk), the EDoN Initiative (https://edon-initiative.org) spearheaded by Alzheimer's Research UK, b) the Data Science and Neuroscience teams at AstraZeneca.

Applicants should have a Masters and/or First Degree for Research Assistant, PhD (or submitted at time of appointment) for Research Associate, together with a strong academic track record, in a relevant area (e.g., Data Science, Biostatistics, Computer Science, Mathematics, Engineering, Neuroscience, Medicine). Programming skills are highly desirable and experience with machine learning, data science, computational neuroscience, biostatistics, or clinical neuroscience are highly beneficial. Above all, they will demonstrate enthusiasm to contribute new knowledge, openness to learn new approaches and willingness to contribute to a multidisciplinary team across sectors (academia, healthcare industry).

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 24 months in the first instance with potential for extension (up to 3 years).

Once an offer of employment has been accepted, the successful candidate will be required to undergo a health assessment.

Please ensure that you upload your Curriculum Vitae (CV) and a covering letter in the Upload section of the online application. If you upload any additional documents which have not been requested, we will not be able to consider these as part of your application.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 24 months in the first instance.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

For informal inquiries, please contact Professor Zoe Kourtzi at zk240@cam.ac.uk

Closing Date: Sunday 4th June 2023 at 12 Midnight

Interviews: TBC

Please quote reference PJ36603 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.