Research Assistant in Machine Learning for Medicine (Part Time, Fixed Term)

A position exists for a part-time Research Assistant in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics to work on the development of novel machine learning methods with applications in medicine, pharmacology, and healthcare. The research will be conducted in the van der Schaar Lab under the supervision of Professor Mihaela van der Schaar.

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• Design and implementation of state-of-the-art machine learning models for medical applications.
  
• Developing and evaluating algorithms in Python; applying large language models (LLMs) and deep learning methods to clinical and genomic datasets.
  
• Building interpretable models of disease progression and treatment response.
  
• Supporting reproducible research workflows and contributing to open-source tools.
  
• Assisting with the preparation of research outputs for leading conferences and journals.
  
• Engaging with collaborators across medicine and computer science and participating in weekly lab meetings.
  

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• Student with strong interest in machine learning; typically holds a prior degree in a quantitative or computational discipline (e.g., engineering, mathematics, computer science or related fields).
  
• Experience programming in Python and working with modern ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow).
  
• Interest in interpretable models, dynamical systems, and development of LLM-based agents for clinical reasoning.
  
• Desirable: experience with healthcare or genomic datasets; prior exposure to cancer research is an advantage.
  

Tenure limit: 1 year, starting 1 October or 1 November 2025. This is a part-time position at 10 hours per week.

Click the 'Apply' button to register an account and apply online. Upload a full curriculum vitae and a description of your recent research (not to exceed three pages). Include full contact details of two referees. We will assume consent to contact referees unless you indicate otherwise.

Informal inquiries can be made by contacting Prof Mihaela van der Schaar. For queries related to the application process, please email us.

Interviews will be held in the week commencing 22 September 2025. Please quote reference LE47109 on your application and in any correspondence.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society. We particularly welcome applications from women and/or candidates from a BAME background for this vacancy as they are currently under-represented at this level in our Department. The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.