Are you passionate about clinical research and dedicated to bridging the gap between data science and clinical care for cardiovascular diseases (CVD)? Join us as PhD!

Job Description
This PhD position is a shared position between the Institute of Data Science, part of the Department of Advanced Computing Sciences and Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences at Maastricht University. You will contribute to the iCARE4CVD project, focusing on the interaction of patient characteristics, biomarkers, treatment, and outcomes to develop models for personalized medicine.

We are looking for a motivated and dedicated PhD student with a master’s degree in medicine, emphasizing a strong interest and experience in data science. This role involves collaborating with interdisciplinary teams and conducting clinical studies to understand the nuances of patient care. The successful candidate will work at the intersection of data science and clinical practice, driving research with a meaningful impact on patient outcomes.
The tasks of the successful candidate include:

• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams (healthcare professionals, engineers, data scientists, data privacy expert ect) to gather, process, and analyze diverse healthcare datasets.
• Conduct Clinical Studies.
• Apply data analytics and machine learning techniques to extract valuable insights from complex data and interpretation of results in the clinical context.
• Develop predictive models to identify treatment response in patients at high risk of cardiovascular diseases.
• Work on data integration and standardization to ensure interoperability between different data sources.
• Contribute to the translation of research findings into actionable clinical practice guidelines and interventions.
• Communicate research findings through presentations, publications, and reports.
• Participation in project meetings and contribution to reports, as well as possible travels across Europe and beyond for the implementation of the project and participation in conferences.
• Assist in teaching activities of the departments.
• Align research goals to real-world requirements.

Requirements

• Master's degree in Medicine with a strong interest and experience in data science.
• The candidate preferably has a strong academic background and understanding in clinical medicine.
• Excellent programming skills (esp. Python).
• Proven experience in health data analysis, including machine learning and statistical modeling techniques.
• Familiarity and previous clinical research experience in cardiovascular diseases or related conditions.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to think creatively and propose innovative solutions.
• Excellent command of English both in written and verbal communication.
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in a large team. In this project you will work within the two departments, as well as with collaborators across Europe and USA.
• Passionate and creative researcher with a serious interest in publishing in top venues in the field.
• Strong presentation, writing, communication, and organizational skills are required for this position.

What we offer
As PhD candidate in Clinical Data Science - iCARE4CVD Project at Faculty of Science & Engineering, you will be employed by the most international university in the Netherlands, located in the beautiful city of Maastricht. In addition, we offer you:

• Good employment conditions. The position is graded in scale P according to UFO profile PhD, with corresponding salary based on experience ranging from €2770,00 and €3539,00 gross per month (based on a full-time employment of 38 hours per week). In addition to the monthly salary, an 8.0% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus apply.
• An employment contract for a period of 12 months with a scope of 1,0 FTE. Upon a positive evaluation, an extension of 3 years will follow.
• At Maastricht University, the well-being of our employees is of utmost importance, we offer flexible working hours and the possibility to work partly from home if the nature of your position allows it. You will receive a monthly commuting and internet allowance for this. If you work full-time, you will be entitled to 29 vacation days and 4 additional public holidays per year, namely carnival Monday, carnival Tuesday, Good Friday, and Liberation Day. If you choose to accumulate compensation hours, an additional 12 days will be added. Furthermore, you can personalize your employment conditions through a collective labor agreement (CAO) choice model.
• As Maastricht University, we offer various other excellent secondary employment conditions. These include a good pension scheme with the ABP and the opportunity for UM employees to participate in company fitness and make use of the extensive sports facilities that we also offer to our students.
• Last but certainly not least, we provide the space and facilities for your personal and professional development. We facilitate this by offering a wide range of training programs and supporting various well-established initiatives such as 'acknowledge and appreciate'.
  The terms of employment at Maastricht University are largely set out in the collective labor agreement of Dutch Universities. In addition, local provisions specific to UM apply. For more information, click here.

Maastricht University
Why work at Maastricht University?
At Maastricht University (UM), everything revolves around the future. The future of our students, as we work to equip them with a solid, broad-based foundation for the rest of their lives. And the future of society, as we seek solutions through our research to issues from all around the world. Our six faculties combined provide a comprehensive package of study programmes and research.

In our teaching, we use the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) method. Students work in small groups, looking for solutions to problems themselves. By discussing issues and working together to draw conclusions, formulate answers and present them to their peers, students develop essential skills for their future careers.

With over 22,300 students and more than 5,000 employees from all over the world, UM is home to a vibrant and inspiring international community.

Are you drawn to an international setting focused on education, science and scholarship? Are you keen to contribute however your skills and qualities allow? Our door is open to you! As a young European university, we value your talent and look forward to creating the future together.

Click here for more information about UM.

Faculty of Science and Engineering
At the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE), we focus on themes such as circularity and sustainability, future farming, digitisation and (scientific) instrument development. FSE's leading projects, like the Einstein Telescope Pathfinder, are sure to grab anyone's attention. The faculty is a vibrant hub of education and research in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS). At FSE, over 450 staff members and 3700 students gather to explore e exciting interdisciplinary research and educational programmes. Feel welcome, be part of our team and put your brilliant mind to work!

FSE at the Brightlands Campuses
Maastricht, Sittard-Geleen, Heerlen, and Venlo, the home of four creative Brightlands campuses, are bustling with 30,000 entrepreneurs, researchers, and students working diligently to solve global challenges. The Faculty of Science and Engineering is active on all four Brightlands campuses, and this is where our impact reaches its peak. To give you an idea of what is happening at each campus: Sittard-Geleen is home to the largest chemical site in the Euregion, while Venlo is a large hub for agri-food innovation. Maastricht is the site of the Health Campus, and Heerlen is the place to be for Smart Services.

Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences
At the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences (FHML), everything revolves around healthy living. Our research and education are not solely focused on recovery, but place a strong emphasis on prevention, health preservation, and health promotion. Our aim is to use our knowledge and expertise to genuinely contribute to the well-being of individual people as well as society in total.

In, research, and healthcare, FHML is closely collaborating with the academic hospital in Maastricht, together forming the Maastricht University Medical Center (MUMC+).
FHML is strongly connected in education, research, and care with the Maastricht academic hospital, together with which it forms the Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC+).

FHML, which is the largest faculty of Maastricht University, is formed by an (inter)national community of staff and students. The faculty offers a wide range of Dutch and English-taught Bachelor and Master's programs in innovative educational concepts, with the emphasis always on building bridges to practice

The multidisciplinary research of FHML focuses on several carefully chosen current themes. In addition to research aimed at gaining new insights, this also involves research whose results can be directly translated into concrete applications and innovations. The various research programmes are organised into six graduate schools and two research institutes.

Department of Cardiology, Maastricht University Medical Centre is an internationally renowned clinical department with focus on heart failure and rhythm disorders. It has a large outpatient clinic, an clinical ward including a cardiac care unit, and an own emergency department. It has a strong focus on academic care, translational research and teaching.

Institute of Data Science performs applied research in data science and artificial intelligence by collaborating across disciplines, institutions, and sectors. The goal of our research is to accelerate scientific discovery, improve clinical care and well-being, and to strengthen communities. We specialise in machine learning, decentralised applications related to biomedical data, as well as promoting the FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable) principles. IDS is part of the Department of Advanced Computing Sciences.

https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/research/institute-data-science

The Department of Advanced Computing Sciences is Maastricht University’s largest and oldest department broadly covering the fields of artificial intelligence, data science, computer science, mathematics and robotics. Over 100 researchers work and study in the Department of Advanced Computing Sciences, whose roots trace back to 1987. The department’s staff teaches approximately 1200 bachelor’s and master’s students in 4 specialized study programmes in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.
https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/dacs

Curious?
Are you interested in this exciting position but still have questions? Feel free to contact Hans-Peter Brunner- La Rocca (Professor) via hp.brunnerlarocca@mumc.nl or Visara Urovi (Associate Professor) via v.urovi@maastrichtuniversity.nl for more information.

Applying?
Or are you already convinced and ready to become our new PhD candidate in Clinical Data Science - iCARE4CVD Project? Apply now, no later than May 20, 2024 for this position.

Depending on your current location, you may be invited for an interview via MS Teams or in person. To apply for the position, submit the following documents

• cover letter (1 page max), which includes a motivation of your interest in the vacancy and an explanation of why you would fit well for the PhD position;
• a detailed curriculum vitae;
• a course list of your Masters and Bachelor programs (including grades);
• results of a recent English language test, or other evidence of your English language capabilities;
• name and contact information of two references

The vacancy is open for internal and external candidates. In case of equal qualifications, internal candidates will be prioritized.

Maastricht University is committed to promoting and nurturing a diverse and inclusive community. We believe that diversity in our staff and student population contributes to the quality of research and education at UM, and strive to enable this through inclusive policies and innovative projects led by teams of staff and students. We encourage you to apply for this position.