PhD candidate to develop next generation AI/ML driven tools for multi-modal data integration in personalised cardiovascular medicine

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

To be a doctoral student means to devote oneself to a research project under supervision of experienced researchers and following an individual study plan. For a doctoral degree, the equivalent of four years of full-time doctoral education is required.

Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery

The Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery (MMK) carries out both preclinical and clinical research within numerous fields. Linked to the Department are approximately 450 researchers, postgraduate students, teachers and technical and administrative staff and we currently have about 150 PhD students. The Department is conducting undergraduate courses for medical, biomedical and biomedical laboratory students.

The research group

The prospective PhD candidate will be recruited to the Team Translational Vascular Medicine led by Assoc Prof Ljubica Matic, MSc, PhD, who will also act as the main supervisor for the student. This Team is integrated within the large Vascular Surgery research group, at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery (MMK), KI, which is dedicated to translational and clinical research on vascular diseases and pathological vascular conditions in general. The Team Translational Vascular Medicine is specialized in molecular mechanisms underlying atherosclerosis and vascular injury. This Team is situated at the BioClinicum building, it belongs also to the Center for Molecular Medicine and gathers several other PhD students and postdocs.

The vascular diseases and conditions addressed in our broader research context are atherosclerosis, aortic aneurysms, peripheral arterial disease as well as restenosis after vascular interventions. Altogether these conditions contribute to the high overall cardiovascular mortality, dominated by complications of atherosclerosis such as myocardial infarction or stroke. To better understand the development and progression of vascular disease, over the past decades we have, together with the Vascular Surgery Clinic, Karolinska Hospital, assembled several large biobanks of human and murine vascular tissues (i.e. BiKE-Biobank of Karolinska Endarterectomies; BiRCA-Biobank of Rat Carotid Artery injury, etc.). Our platform enables large-scale multi-variate and multi-modal analyses of gene, protein and metabolite expression from vascular lesions and blood, combined with genetic, clinical/epidemiological and imaging parameters from patients. We also perform in depth functional and mechanistic studies in animal and cell culture models of vascular injury and disease.

The doctoral student project and the duties of the doctoral student

The overall goal of this doctoral project is to develop modern, multi-modal prediction models for assessing personalized risk for adverse outcomes, premature death, response to drugs, etc. in patients with carotid atherosclerosis. Our hypothesis is that AI/ML aided multi-modal data integration per patient will lead to more accurate predictions compared to currently widely used risk scoring tools, which are based mostly on clinical data or diagnostic imaging. The project will be performed using already existing resources and data within a large biobank of atherosclerosis patients at KI, BiKE.

The PhD project will also be embedded in the framework of an EU Horizon project NextGen (https://www.nextgentools.eu), where KI partners participate together with totally 20 other clinical research centers, universities, professional associations, small-to-medium enterprizes and non-profit representative organizations of civil society, aiming to develop the next generation AI/ML tools for multi-modal data integration in personalized cardiovascular medicine. Another aim of NexGen is to overcome limitations with respect to health-care data sharing imposed by the EU GDPR laws by generating novel tools for health-care data portability, while implementing rigorous personal data governance principles and AI ethics.

The project holds translational potential in opening new opportunities for improved treatment of patients with cardiovascular disease, but also carries considerable novelty in the research field. We offer a position in one of the leading groups in the field of vascular disease with an excellent network of international and industrial collaborators, and longstanding experience in translational science. The project will be conducted in a multidisciplinary environment at the interface between academia, clinic, pharma industry, where resources and expertise in human biobanking, omics data, imaging, animal surgery, in vitro and molecular biology methods will be available.

What do we offer?

A creative and inspiring environment full of expertise and curiosity. Karolinska Institutet is one of the world's leading medical universities. Our vision is to pursue the development of knowledge about life and to promote a better health for all. At Karolinska Institutet, we conduct successful medical research and hold the largest range of medical education in Sweden. As a doctoral student you are offered an individual research project, a well-educated supervisor, a vast range of elective courses and the opportunity to work in a leading research group. Karolinska Institutet collaborates with prominent universities from all around the world, which ensures opportunities for international exchanges. You will be employed on a doctoral studentship which means that you receive a contractual salary. Employees also have access to our modern gym for free and receive reimbursements for medical care.

Eligibility requirements for doctoral education

In order to participate in the selection for a doctoral position, you must meet the following general (A) and specific (B) eligibility requirements at latest by the application deadline.

It is your responsibility to certify eligibility by following the instructions on the web page Entry requirements (eligibility) for doctoral education.

A) General eligibility requirement

You meet the general eligibility requirement for doctoral/third-cycle/PhD education if you:

1. have been awarded a second-cycle/advanced/master qualification (i.e. master degree), or
2. have satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the advanced/second-cycle/master level, or
3. have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.*

Follow the instructions on the web page Entry requirements (eligibility) for doctoral education.

*If you claim equivalent knowledge, follow the instructions on the web page Assessing equivalent knowledge for general eligibility for doctoral education.

B) Specific eligibility requirement

You meet the specific eligibility requirement for doctoral/third-cycle/PhD education if you:

- Show proficiency in English equivalent to the course English B/English 6 at Swedish upper secondary school.

Follow the instructions on the web page English language requirements for doctoral education.

Verification of your documents Karolinska Institutet checks the authenticity of your documents. Karolinska Institutet reserves the right to revoke admission if supporting documents are discovered to be fraudulent. Submission of false documents is a violation of Swedish law and is considered grounds for legal action.

(A) and (B) can only be certified by the documentation requirement for doctoral education.

Skills and personal qualities

The suitable candidate should have both theoretical and empirical background in big-data analysis, multi-omics/multi-modal data integration, AI/ML modelling and/or bioinformatics. The candidate should also have an interest in the complex pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases. We are looking for a highly motivated person that should be dedicated to full time research, have the potential to work both independently and within a translational team, and manage the close collaboration between our research group, the project related EU community, as well as the clinic. The daily work is office based and situated in modern BioClinicum facilites.

The selected person will be expected to plan, perform, analyze and interpret research results independently and within the Team, present at congresses, and participate in national/international collaboration networks. Willingness to work flexibly in order to achieve project demands and targets as agreed within the Team is necessary. Being able to organise and prioritise own work, as well as organising research within the project timetable and planned deliverables is essential. Maintaining accurate and up to date electronic records for projects is necessary. Fluency in English is a requirement, knowledge of Swedish is not necessary but will be considered an advantage. Good social, organisational and analytical skills are essential. Ability to travel to other countries is essential and possibilities will exist for conducting research visits abroad. Ability to undertake teaching and pedagogical activities will be considered as an advantage.

Terms and conditions

The doctoral student will be employed on a doctoral studentship maximum 4 years full-time.

Application process

Submit your application and supporting documents through the Varbi recruitment system. Use the button in the top right corner and follow the instructions. We prefer that your application is written in English, but you can also apply in Swedish.

Your application must contain the following documents:

- A personal letter and a curriculum vitae
- Degree projects and previous publications, if any
- Any other documentation showing the desirable skills and personal qualities described above
- Documents certifying your general eligibility (see A above)
- Documents certifying your specific eligibility (see B above)

Selection

A selection will be made among eligible applicants on the basis of the ability to benefit from doctoral education. The qualifications of the applicants will be evaluated on an overall basis.

Karolinska Institutet uses the following bases of assessment:

- Documented subject knowledge of relevance to the area of research
- Analytical skill
- Other documented knowledge or experience that may be relevant to doctoral studies in the subject.

All applicants will be informed when the recruitment is completed.

Read more about our research and group:

https://ki.se/en/people/ljubica-matic
https://www.ljubicamaticgroup-translationalvascularmedicine.eu
https://ki.se/en/research/research-areas-centres-and-networks/research-groups/vascular-surgery-ulf-hedins-research-group#tab-start

Want to make a difference? Join us and contribute to better health for all