LAB
PhD in Deep Learning for Echocardiography – Advancing Morphology and Function Analysis
CLOSED
POSITION
3-30-2025
We are looking for a motivated PhD candidate to build AI-driven models for echocardiographic imaging in QurAI group. Your work will involve developing robust pipelines to segment cardiac anatomy, analyze motion, and extract clinically relevant features across different imaging protocols. If you have a strong background in biomedical engineering, AI, or medical image analysis, and enjoy working in an interdisciplinary team of engineers and medical experts, this could be the perfect opportunity for you. Are you ready to shape the future of echocardiography with cutting-edge AI?
About vacancy
What you will do
You will focus on creating innovative AI-driven solutions for analyzing echocardiographic data. Your work will revolve around building robust pipelines that can segment and analyze complete cardiac anatomy in all standard echocardiographic views and extract functional characteristics to answer clinically relevant questions.
Echocardiography is a cornerstone of cardiac imaging, offering a non-invasive, cost-effective, and versatile approach to diagnosing and managing heart disease. However, the manual interpretation of echocardiograms is time-intensive and prone to variability, limiting its utility in resource-constrained settings and for longitudinal studies. This project aims to address these challenges by automating anatomy segmentation, motion analysis, and feature extraction to provide consistent, scalable, and interpretable solutions which can work for different protocols and different acquisition systems.
Tasks and responsibilities
You will focus on creating innovative AI-driven solutions for analyzing echocardiographic data. Your work will revolve around building robust pipelines that can segment and analyze complete cardiac anatomy in all standard echocardiographic views and extract functional characteristics to answer clinically relevant questions.
Echocardiography is a cornerstone of cardiac imaging, offering a non-invasive, cost-effective, and versatile approach to diagnosing and managing heart disease. However, the manual interpretation of echocardiograms is time-intensive and prone to variability, limiting its utility in resource-constrained settings and for longitudinal studies. This project aims to address these challenges by automating anatomy segmentation, motion analysis, and feature extraction to provide consistent, scalable, and interpretable solutions which can work for different protocols and different acquisition systems.
Tasks and responsibilities
- conducting independent research in QURAI group, resulting in academic publications in peer-reviewed international journals and/or books;
- actively contributing to and developing national and international research networks and other forms of cooperation;
- actively contributing to the research activities of QurAI group and Institute of Informatics
- supervising Bachelor and Master theses and tutoring students
- taking part in committees and working groups and carrying out group or departmental teaching assistantship tasks as directed.
Your experience and profile
- You have a MSc degree in biomedical engineering, artificial intelligence, computer science, image sciences or a comparable training, with a strong interest in medical image processing and analysis (for the PhD position).
- You have a good scientific background.
- You are highly motivated and can work well independently, but also in an interdisciplinary team of medical doctors and engineers.
- You have programming experience, preferably in Python. This is required.
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 1st April. 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.
Based on a full-time appointment (38 hours per week) the gross monthly salary will range from €2,901 in the first year to €3,707 in the last year. This does not include 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% year-end allowance. The UFO profile ‘PhD Candidate’ is applicable. 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:
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 1st April. 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.
Based on a full-time appointment (38 hours per week) the gross monthly salary will range from €2,901 in the first year to €3,707 in the last year. This does not include 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% year-end allowance. The UFO profile ‘PhD Candidate’ is applicable. 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.
Your application & contact
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 this link (https://werkenbij.uva.nl/en/vacancies/phd-in-deep-learning-for-echocardiography-advancing-morphology-and-function-analysis-netherlands-13884/apply). We accept applications until and including 30 March 2025.
Applications should include the following information (all files besides your CV should be submitted in one single pdf file):
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 this link (https://werkenbij.uva.nl/en/vacancies/phd-in-deep-learning-for-echocardiography-advancing-morphology-and-function-analysis-netherlands-13884/apply). We accept applications until and including 30 March 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.
Do you have any questions, or do you require additional information? Please contact:
Navchetan Awasthi, n.awasthi@uva.nl
Only complete applications received within the response period via the link below will be considered.
Do you have any questions, or do you require additional information? Please contact:
Navchetan Awasthi, n.awasthi@uva.nl