Vacancy PHD candidate 'Artificial intelligence to improve interpretation of kidney transplant biopsies'

Job description

As a PhD candidate at Radboudumc, you will contribute to innovative research within the national PERSIMMON consortium. This consortium investigates how personalized therapy after kidney transplantation can improve patient outcomes.

Kidney transplantation is the preferred treatment for patients with end-stage kidney disease, but it is not a cure: many transplants fail prematurely due to rejection, requiring dialysis or re-transplantation. You will explore how artificial intelligence can be used to predict the response to therapy in cases of acute rejection of the kidney graft. Using machine-learning techniques, you will assess kidney transplant biopsies and develop and validate predictive models that support and enhance personalized care.

Your tasks include:

• Designing and conducting scientific research, with a focus on machine-learning based assessment of kidney transplant biopsies.
• Analyzing scientific data.
• Writing scientific publications and presenting findings at (inter)national scientific meetings.
• Collaborating within a consortium with researchers from Radboudumc, UMC Groningen and Erasmus MC.

Place of work

You will work in an interdisciplinary team at Radboudumc, consisting of the Department of Nephrology and the Computational Pathology Group (CPG) within the Department of Pathology. The Department of Nephrology is responsible for approximately 150 kidney transplants per year and the associated patient care.

The CPG focuses on developing and validating novel methods in a broad range of computational pathology applications, including the assessment of kidney biopsies. The innovative application of machine learning in clinical settings creates a vibrant and inspiring research environment.

You will be part of the PERSIMMON consortium, a Dutch NWO-funded collaboration between Radboudumc, UMC Groningen and Erasmus MC. Within this consortium, you will collaborate with other researchers and attend regular consortium meetings.

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.

Profile

You are enthusiastic, ambitious, and strongly motivated to successfully complete a PhD. You have the willingness to actively participate in consortium activities and collaborations.

In addition, you have:

• A master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, or a related field.
• Well-developed communication and social skills, oriented towards teamwork.
• Interest in applying machine learning in clinically relevant contexts.
• Affinity with scientific research and academic writing.

Employment conditions

At Radboud university medical center, you build on your future. We are committed to providing the best care, education, and research. And we are true to our word, because we help you develop and seize opportunities and give you the room to grow. As an employer, we believe that employees should feel vital and happy at work in all stages of life. We are also committed to creating a healthy and safe working environment. Our employment conditions contribute to that. What we offer:

• Upon commencement of employment, you will start at scale 10A, step 0 (€ 3.108 based on a full-time appointment). Over a maximum period of 4 years, you will progress to scale 10A, step 3 (€3.939 based on a full-time appointment). You will also receive an 8% holiday allowance, an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and a 47% to 72% bonus for working unsocial hours.
• 176 vacation hours per year based on a 36-hour working week.

And there is more..

• An Employment Conditions Selection Model, allowing you to use part of your employment conditions to your choosing. For example, you can use your gross salary to purchase additional vacation hours or hours for providing informal caregiving. Or, for example, you can use your gross end-of-year bonus to purchase a bicycle, so you pay less tax.
• Plenty of opportunities for personal development. You can take a variety of courses in our online learning environment. 
• Your well-being and vitality are a priority. For example:
  • Save time for work-life balance leave. 
  • You can enjoy unlimited access to a variety of activities five days a month and take advantage of all the facilities at Radboud Sport & Culture for only €27.05 per month (instead of €41)
  • Healthy Professionals program to help you manage your energy. 
  • Company Support Team and a personal coach if you are going through a life-changing event.
  • Financially beneficial working less through a Generation Scheme as you approach state pension age.
• Support in achieving a good work-life balance at every stage of your life. Examples:
  • Advice and courses on, for example, 'Millennial dilemmas' and 'Your Career After 57'.
  • Activities at our own mindfulness center.
  • Informal caregiving consultations if you have questions about juggling work and caregiving responsibilities at home.
• In addition to statutory pregnancy and maternity leave, Radboud university medical center offers 26 weeks of parental leave, nine of which are paid. In addition, as a partner you can take a maximum of five weeks of supplementary partner leave. During supplementary partner leave and parental leave, we supplement the UWV benefit up to 100% of your salary.
• Pension accrual at the ABP Pension Fund. Radboud university medical center pays 70% of the pension premium. 
• Discounts on supplementary packages of two group health insurances and ten other types of insurance, from home insurance to legal assistance.
• An allowance for your commuting costs of € 0.18 per km up to a maximum of 40 km one way. If you use public transport to commute, we will fully reimburse the public transport costs (2nd class). If you regularly work from home, you will receive a working from home allowance of € 2.40 per day.

Application procedure

Are you ready to think further for our patients and our care? We would like to receive your application before 9 October 2025. We will then contact you shortly. The job interviews take place in week 42. We would appreciate it if you would take this into account. An assessment may be part of the application process.

Good to know

• This position requires a Certificate of Conduct (VOG).
• You can find more information about our application procedure and frequently asked questions on our website.
• Will you be our new colleague? Then you will be given the time and space to get to know your role, your workplace, and your colleagues. An induction day for all new colleagues is an integral part of your onboarding program. 

We are recruiting for this position ourselves. Unsolicited marketing is not appreciated, but do feel free to share the vacancy in your network!

Contact

Any questions? Or wondering what it is like to work at Radboudumc? Then call, send a message or email to Luuk Hilbrands, internist-nephrologist via 06 11 73 18 16. Use the Apply button to submit your application.