Phd Candidate at Tilburg University and The Elisabeth Tweesteden Ziekenhuis in Tilburg

**Department**: Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence
**Location**: Tilburg
**Full-time equivalent**: 1.0 FTE (40 hours per week)
**Monthly full-time gross salary**:
**Duration of employment contract**: 48 months

**Your position**:
**The project**:
You will work on the WeCare project “IMPACT-ETZ - Image-based Medical Processing and AI for Clinical Transformation at ETZ”, led by dr. Elisabeth Huis in ‘t Veld (Tilburg University), and Bachtiar Burhani, MD (Neurosurgery, ETZ).

The aim of this project is to further develop, validate, and/or implement four scalable and user-friendly AI tools (in several phases of development) to their next phase, through validation, co-design and strategic implementation (see Tasks). The co-design and implementation of these tools with stakeholders will be performed through a dedicated WP, taking into account the frameworks for implementation.

The four tools are:

- PAINAR: a suitable method for automated pain assessment using facial analysis similar to AINAR (to be developed);
- NAIL: an AI driven app to assess hemoglobin measurements through fingernail photographs (in prototype phase);
- KAHLER: AI-assisted osteolytic lesion detection and monitoring (see See Botafwijkingen sneller herkennen dankzij Artificial Intelligence, and Implementatie van een geoptimaliseerd AI-model voor het ontdekken en monitoren van osteolytische botletsels).

The project team is multidisciplinary. You will be closely supervised by experts on image analysis and (e)health app development from the CSAI department (dr. Elisabeth Huis in ‘t Veld, dr. Sharon Ong, dr. Judita Rudokaité, dr. Samaneh Koshrou, and prof. Pieter Spronck), collaborate with prof. dr. Carol Ou of the Department of Information Systems and Operations Management (Tilburg School of Economics and Management). From the ETZ, physicians and staff from Neurosurgery, Geriatrics, Radiology, the KCHL laboratory, Anesthesiology, Orthopedic surgery and Medical Physics are closely involved in their respective work packages. Also, you will work with dr. Itir Onal Ertugrul from Utrecht University.

**Your tasks**

The Tilburg PhD researcher will work on five work packages, together with dedicated members of that Work Package.

**WP1**: Coordinate an (online) quantitative online study that assesses the efficacy of the AINAR game and analyse the data (using statistics). (Possibly collect and) analyze video data of patients in the hospital prior to undergoing a venipuncture and cross-validate the (existing) image analysis models on this new data.

**WP3**: Coordinate the (online) data collection of fingernail images and laboratory hemoglobin measurements. cross-validate models (currently under development using different data) on this new dataset, further develop an existing mínimal working prototype of an app able to ‘scan’ fingernails for remote Hb assessment.

**WP4**: Assist in reader studies with radiologists and radiology residents to assess the clinical performance of using an AI tool vs not using it.

**WP5**: Perform above mentioned development tasks while iteratively conducting interviews and surveys with stakeholders, co-design, and distill outcomes in a framework and plan of action for the WPs in developing the prototypes

For a more detailed description, please contact dr. Elisabeth Huis in ‘t Veld.

**Requirements**:
Your qualifications:

- Master’s degree in data science, artificial intelligence, computer science, health technology implementation/ psychology / health or cognitive science (if also with data science or AI), or related fields.
- Strong communicative and organisational and project management skills:

- You are an effective communicator and collaborator. You can connect easily with researchers, healthcare staff ánd patients.
- You at least have an interest (and ideally, research or coding experience) in
- Deep learning techniques, image analysis techniques, statistics;
- App development;
- Affinity or interest in co-design, implementation science, ethical, legal and societal aspects (ELSA), regulatory frameworks, human centered AI, user experience, human factors and/or human-computer interaction (HCI).
- You are an enthusiastic, independent person with a curious mindset. You are willing and eager to work on a multidisciplinary project with different tasks, from qualitative interviews with nurses and statistical analysis on quantitative data, to AI deployment and app development.

**Conditions of employment**

Fixed-term contract: 12 months + 3 years.

**Appointment and salary**
This PhD position will be employed at Tilburg University. We offer:

- A full-time position.
- A minimum gross salary of € 2.901 per month in the first year up to a maximum of € 3.707 in the fourth year;
- A holiday allowance of 8% and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3% (annually);
- Accommodation (for foreign employees);
- The opportunity to perform cutting edge research in a large-scale science project involving TiU and the Elisabeth Tweesteden