Vacancy PhD candidate 'Validation and Implementation of Commercially Available Artificial Intelligence Solutions in Healthcare'

Job description

We are seeking an ambitious PhD student to work on this three-year project, which should result in a PhD thesis. The goal of this PhD project is to bring more transparency in the field of commercially available AI solutions in healthcare. You will use our developed Project AIR framework to validate and compare more commercially AI products to provide insights into the performance of the products.

Another important part of the project is to develop and coordinate a national course aimed at healthcare professionals on AI for healthcare, how it works, what products are available, and what to keep in mind when evaluating and implementing AI products in healthcare. The course will consist of an online part and full-day workshops that will be held four times per year.

Furthermore, you will have the opportunity to explore the AI market beyond the field of radiology and expand the overview of commercially available products to other areas in healthcare.

Background
The number of AI products in healthcare, particularly in the field of medical imaging, is rapidly growing. There are over 200 products available for the radiology market, and platforms are emerging that lower the barrier for software developers to make their solutions widely available. However, to date, few of these AI products are being used in daily practice, despite many companies striving to gain a foothold in hospitals and radiology departments.

On the other hand, management boards and radiologists are struggling with identifying products that can improve healthcare, reduce workload, or cut costs. Solid studies validating AI products in radiology are scarce. Most studies have been funded by the industry, measuring the performance of a single algorithm, while ignoring integration into clinical workflows, time and cost savings, and cost-effectiveness analysis.

The ‘AI for Radiology’ platform, developed by Kicky van Leeuwen in her PhD project over the past few years, enables end-users to access an overview of the available products in the radiology market and provides transparency about their performance. Additionally, we have developed a framework, Project AIR, which allows us to conduct independent multi-vendor, multi-center comparisons of similar products.

Check for more information: DIAG vacancy

Place of work

The Diagnostic Image Analysis Group (DIAG) is at the forefront of developments in AI for healthcare, with various in-house developed products already translated or in the process of being translated to the clinic. This project is a collaboration between clinical researchers of the Department of Medical Imaging of the Radboud University Medical Center, the Diagnostic Image Analysis Group, the Innovation Center for Artificial Intelligence and the start-up Health AI Register (the company started by Kicky van Leeuwen that pursues the continuation of AIforRadiology.com). You will also collaborate with other hospitals in our Dutch AI network, and the AI vendors to achieve the above goals.

Radboudumc
Welcome to Radboud university medical center (Radboudumc), where scientific breakthroughs are born through the curiosity and passion of our collaborating researchers in a vibrant environment. We believe trust and excitement are crucial elements to achieving our goals, and we approach our research as teams and with the utmost rigor to make a significant impact on health and healthcare. Our researchers are driven by their fascination with the biological, psychological, and sociological mechanisms underlying health and healthcare. They collaborate with partners from all over the world to improve health outcomes for all. Radboudumc unites patient care, research, education, and corporate learning, which allows us to approach our mission to shape the health and healthcare of the future in an innovative and person-centered way.

Our ambition is to lead the way in the pursuit of prevention, sustainability, meaningful care. We believe that through our research, we can significantly improve the health and well-being of society. Join us on our mission to make a difference in healthcare. Become a part of our community of gifted researchers, professionals or patient partners who are dedicated to making a real impact on population health and healthcare. 

Read what it is like to do a PhD at the Radboud University Medical Center.

Read more about working at Radboud university medical center means. 

Profile

You have a MSc degree (or equivalent) in (Technical) Medicine and a strong interest in Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare. Moreover you have excellent communication skills in English and the ability and willingness to work in an interdisciplinary research team. 

Employment conditions

You will be appointed as a researcher at the Radboud University Medical Center, Department of Medical Imaging, with the standard salary and secondary conditions for clinical PhD students in the Netherlands. Your appointment is for three years. Your work is expected to lead to the thesis. The salary depends on education. Scale 10 will be offered to MSc medical graduates; those holding degrees in other disciplines will be offered scale 10A.

Working at Radboud university medical center means that you are ahead of the curve and working together on the healthcare of the future. And there is more. Our secondary terms of employment are impressive. These are fully tailored to you thanks to our Employment Conditions Selection Model. At Radboud university medical center, you will be given trust, and you will take the responsibility to handle everything together. We provide annual courses, both professional and personal.

• A gross monthly salary between € 2.901 and € 3.677 (scale 10A) or between € 3.359 and € 5.292 (scale 10) based on full-time employment.  
• An annual vacation allowance of 8% and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.
• If you work irregular hours, you will receive an allowance.
• As a full-time employee (36 hours per week), you are entitled to approximately 168 vacation hours (over 23 days) per year.
• Radboud university medical center pays 70% of the pension premium. You pay the rest of the premium with your gross salary.
• Discount on your supplementary health insurance. You can make use of two collective health insurance policies: UMC Health Insurance and CZ Collective. They offer many extras to stay vital and healthy, such as a prevention budget, workshops, and apps.

Application procedure

Will you make a difference for our patients? We would like to receive your application before 11 December 2023. Applications will be processed immediately upon receipt and the positions will be filled as soon as a suitable candidate has been found.

What else can you expect?

When you begin employment, we will request a certificate of conduct (VOG) and, depending on the position, you may be screened. You do not need to do anything for this; we will inform you later. 
 
Radboud university medical center is an employer that welcomes everyone. Every colleague brings valuable experience, expertise, and creativity. We believe in the benefits of a diverse and inclusive organization. #weareradboudumc

Read more about our application procedure or take a look at the frequently asked questions. 
 
We are recruiting for this vacancy ourselves. We only accept applications directly from the applicants themselves, but intermediaries are welcome to share our vacancies in their networks.​

Contact

Any questions? Please contact contact Maarten de Rooij or Steven Schalekamp. Use the Apply button to submit your application.