PhD Positions in AI for Accessible Medical Imaging

Are you looking for a PhD position where you can combine insights from machine learning and medical image analysis? The Quantitative Healthcare Analysis (qurAI) group is seeking PhD (and Postdoc) candidates to dive into this kind of research.

Join our team!
Medical imaging is a cornerstone of modern healthcare, crucial for early disease detection, accurate diagnosis, and effective aftercare. However, its accessibility remains a major challenge due to the high costs of imaging devices, the need for highly trained operators, and the scarcity of experts to analyze and interpret the images.
Want to be part of the solution? Join AI4AI: Artificial Intelligence for Accessible Medical Imaging a groundbreaking public-private, multi-institutional, and multi-disciplinary consortium, funded by the Dutch Research Council. Our mission? To break down these barriers by harnessing the power of AI. Through cutting-edge artificial intelligence technologies, we aim to 1) make high-quality imaging possible with more affordable devices; 2) enable operation by non-specialist personnel; and 3) automate image interpretation for faster and more accurate diagnoses.

What you will do
We are looking for ambitious and talented PhD candidates to drive innovation in one of the following areas:

1. AI for Glaucoma Screening & Triage: Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness, often detected too late due to its asymptomatic early stages. While screening with color fundus imaging can help, its cost-effectiveness is limited by the reliance on expert interpretation. AI presents a game-changing opportunity to automate glaucoma detection, making screening more efficient, scalable, and accessible. However, current AI models struggle with performance variability across diverse datasets, limiting their real-world application. In this role, you will develop robust AI models for glaucoma screening and triage—ensuring reliable detection across varied clinical settings.
2. AI for Immunotherapy Patient Selection: Immunotherapy has transformed cancer treatment, but its effectiveness remains limited due to the complexity of biomarker analysis and variability in expert interpretation. To improve patient selection for immunotherapy, you will develop AI-driven methods to automatically extract key imaging biomarkers from pathology images across multiple cancers, including breast, lung, colorectal, gastro-esophageal, and head & neck cancers. This technology will reduce expert workload, enhance treatment precision, and improve patient outcomes.
3. AI for Organ Tissue Perfusion Assessment: Ensuring optimal blood perfusion during surgery is crucial for organ function and patient recovery. Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging (LSCI) is a promising technique for visualizing perfusion, but its interpretation is complex and requires technical expertise. In this role, you will develop AI-driven solutions that allow surgeons to quickly and intuitively visualize and assess tissue perfusion in real time. Our AI technology will provide objective, intraoperative assessments, helping to reduce complications like anastomotic leakage (AL) in colorectal cancer surgery and improving overall patient safety and outcomes.
4. AI for Orthopedic Implant Assessment: With the rise in orthopedic implants due to aging populations and chronic diseases, complications like implant loosening are becoming more common. Diagnosing these issues is challenging, costly, and time-consuming, often requiring advanced imaging (RSA, PET/SPECT), which can lead to unnecessary surgeries or prolonged patient suffering. To address this, you will develop AI-driven solutions to optimize image acquisition, interpretation, and workflow using standard low-dose CT and X-ray. This will reduce reliance on specialized academic expertise, lower healthcare costs, and improve patient outcomes by enabling faster, more accurate diagnoses.

Tasks and responsibilities:

• conducting independent research in AI and medical image analysis, resulting in academic publications in peer-reviewed international journals and/or books;
• actively contributing to the research activities of qurAI group;
• assisting in educational activities and supervision of bachelor and master students;
• actively participating and engaging within the AI4AI multidisciplinary consortium;
• closely collaborating with the industrial partners in the AI4AI consortium.

Are you interested in the areas listed above, but not looking for a PhD position, please see the other vacancy on our website (13924) where you can apply for a Postdoc position.

Your profile
Your experience and profile:

• MSc in Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Engineering or a related subject
• Previously demonstrated interest in machine learning, deep learning and medical image analysis, in the form of coursework, projects and academic publications, and an affinity with medical topic
• Good programming skills, particularly in Python and ML-related libraries
• Flexible, readiness to participate in interdisciplinary cooperation and multidisciplinary development (verifiably focused on collaboration with other disciplines);
• Professional command of English and the willingness to learn Dutch

This is what we offer
A temporary contract for 38 hours per week for the duration of 4 years (the initial contract will be for a period of 18 months and after satisfactory evaluation it will be extended for a total duration of 4 years). The preferred starting date is as soon as possible/[date]/to be discussed. This should lead to a dissertation (PhD thesis). We will draft an educational plan that includes attendance of courses and (international) meetings. We also expect you to assist in teaching undergraduates and master students.

The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and dependent on relevant experience, will range from €2,901 in the first year to €3,707 in the last year. The UFO profile ‘PhD Candidate’ is applicable.This does not include 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% year-end allowance. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable.

Besides the salary and a vibrant and challenging environment at Science Park we offer you multiple fringe benefits:

• 232 holiday hours per year (based on fulltime) and extra holidays between Christmas and 1 January;
• multiple courses to follow from our Teaching and Learning Centre;
• a complete educational program for PhD students;
• multiple courses on topics such as leadership for academic staff;
• multiple courses on topics such as time management, handling stress and an online learning platform with 100+ different courses;
• 7 weeks birth leave (partner leave) with 100% salary;
• partly paid parental leave;
• the possibility to set up a workplace at home;
• a pension at ABP for which UvA pays two third part of the contribution;
• the possibility to follow courses to learn Dutch;
• help with housing for a studio or small apartment when you’re moving from abroad.

Are you curious to read more about our extensive package of secondary employment benefits, take a look here.

Where you will work
The Faculty of Science has a student body of around 8,000, as well as 1,800 members of staff working in education, research or support services. Researchers and students at the Faculty of Science are fascinated by every aspect of how the world works, be it elementary particles, the birth of the universe or the functioning of the brain.

The mission of the Informatics Institute (IvI) is to perform curiosity-driven and use-inspired fundamental research in Computer Science. The main research themes are Artificial Intelligence, Computational Science and Systems and Network Engineering. Our research involves complex information systems at large, with a focus on collaborative, data driven, computational and intelligent systems, all with a strong interactive component.

The Quantitative Healthcare Analysis (qurAI) is an interfaculty group embedded in the Faculties of Medicine (Department of Biomedical Engineering and Physics - BMEP) and Science (Institute of Informatics -IvI) of the University of Amsterdam, with strong ties with clinical department at the Amsterdam University Medical Centers (Amsterdam UMCs) as well as close collaborations with parties as the Netherlands Cancer Institute. In qurAI we focus on the development and clinical implementation of socially responsible AI innovations in healthcare, so as to become an indispensable part of the Amsterdam ecosystem in the field of AI and healthcare.

If you feel the profile fits you, and you are interested in the job, we look forward to receiving your application. You can apply online via the button. We accept applications until and including 6 May 2025.

Applications should include the following information (all files besides your cv should be submitted in one single pdf file):

• a detailed CV including the months (not just years) when referring to your education and work experience;
• a letter of motivation;
• a list of publications;
• the names and email addresses of two references who can provide letters of recommendation.

A knowledge security check can be part of the selection procedure.
(for details: national knowledge security guidelines)

Only complete applications received within the response period via the link below will be considered.

The interviews will be held in the course of 10 days after closing date.

Do you have any questions or do you require additional information? Please contact:

• Clarisa Sánchez, Professor of AI and Health, c.i.sanchezgutierrez@uva.nl

38 hours per week

Science Park 904