Mots-Clés

cardiovascular disease, AI for computational immunology, interpretable deep learning

Description

PHD POSITION IN CARDIOMETABOLIC RESEARCH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BERN

The University of Bern is offering a PhD position as part of the MIRACLE consortium, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral. This international research initiative trains future leaders in single-cell biology, multi-omics analysis, and macrophage biology to advance cardiometabolic disease (CMD) research and treatment.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The PhD candidate will develop interpretable deep learning and multi-scale models of the immune system to investigate inflammation and its role in CMD, focusing on macrophage and T-cell interactions. The project integrates computational immunology, multi-omics data, and spatially resolved analyses to uncover molecular mechanisms driving CMD progression, aiming to identify actionable therapeutic strategies.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop interpretable deep learning models for the analysis of single-cell and spatially resolved data.
• Extend multi-scale immune system models to incorporate macrophages and their interactions with T cells.
• Prioritize model interpretability to identify key spatial regions and immune profiles.
• Investigate and address uncertainties in AI models, adapting existing reliability benchmarks for single-cell data analysis.
• Collaborate with MIRACLE partners, including undertaking secondments at academic and industrial institutions.

Expected Outcomes:

• Novel models integrating mechanistic and AI approaches for CMD research.
• Classifiers of immune profiles for clinical applications.
• Insights into therapeutic interventions targeting chronic inflammation.

ABOUT THE SUPERVISORS

This PhD position is a bi-institutional opportunity, with the student formally based at the University of Bern in the group of Prof. Inti Zlobec, and working closely with Prof. María Rodríguez Martínez, an Associate Professor at Yale University in the Department of Biomedical Informatics and Data Science (BIDS). The selected candidate will spend periods at Yale to collaborate directly with Prof. Rodríguez Martínez's team. This unique arrangement provides an excellent opportunity to leverage the expertise and resources of two world-class institutions.

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF BERN

The Faculty of Medicine at the University of Bern, one of Switzerland's largest, is a leader in cardiovascular research and education. Its collaborative approach spans basic science to clinical studies, particularly in CMD, the leading global cause of death. More information:

https://www.medizin.unibe.ch/index_eng.html

ABOUT BIDS

BIDS at Yale School of Medicine is a leader in integrating health sciences with information technology to promote equitable and sustainable health outcomes. BIDS fosters collaboration across disciplines, translating research into practical applications, and emphasizes excellence in transdisciplinary training. By partnering with colleagues within Yale and beyond, BIDS develops innovative methods to organize and analyze biomedical and healthcare data, aiming to improve patient outcomes and address health disparities.

https://medicine.yale.edu/biomedical-informatics-data-science/

ABOUT MIRACLE

The MIRACLE consortium (2024–2028) brings together 12 institutions across academia, industry, and clinical practice to train researchers in single-cell and spatial biology for CMD. Fellows will gain expertise through cutting-edge techniques, interdisciplinary collaboration, and secondments across Europe and the US, fostering careers in precision medicine.

Key Partners: Amsterdam UMC, Maastricht University, University of Lille, University of Eastern Finland, AstraZeneca, NanoString, and others. Learn more