Research Assistant / Associate in Image Informatics

Company description:

We are a world class research-intensive university. We deliver teaching and learning of the highest quality. We play a leading role in economic, social and cultural development of the North East of England. Attracting and retaining high-calibre people is fundamental to our continued success.

Salary:

Research Assistant £31,396 to £32,982 per annum

Research Associate £33,966 to £44,263 per annum

Job description:

The role

One of the leading causes of blindness around the world is diabetic retinopathy and its complication called diabetic macular oedema (DMO).

While there have been advances in the treatment for DMO, not all patients abide by the same course, and the rate of progression varies between patients, as well as the final visual outcomes. Disease progression and response to treatment is often monitored by using a non-invasive imaging technique called optical coherence tomography (OCT) that acquires high-resolution three-dimensional images of the retina. Currently, there are limited predictive models to identify progressors and estimate future final visual results for patients from baseline or at early screening stages.

In this partnership with Roche Products Ltd, The University of Newcastle Upon Tyne and South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, we aim to develop artificial intelligence (AI) models applied to DMO that allow:
1) The identification of imaging biomarkers that reflect the disease pathophysiology
2) Help identify disease change and progression
3) Accurately measure and predict response to treatment(s)

Specifically, this project will assess whether AI models (deep neural networks) using completed randomised controlled clinical trial and real-world data (RWD) that extract structural biomarkers from OCT data, can be beneficial in the prediction of functional visual outcomes, enabling deeper insight into the development of optimal patient care pathways in the future.

The role of the Research Assistant / Associate will be to research, design, implement and validate novel image processing and machine learning approaches for the integration, analysis and holistic understanding of medical imaging datasets.

We are seeking a passionate, highly motivated individual who has demonstrable communication skills, who is a consummate team-player and has the ability to produce high quality experimental outputs under the direction of the Principal Investigator (PI). You should have excellent interpersonal skills, with an aptitude for building meaningful working relationships with our internal and external stakeholders.

This position is available from 1st October 2024, is full time (37 hours per week) on a fixed term basis for 1 year with possibility of a short extension.

For all informal enquiries, please contact Prof. Boguslaw Obara (boguslaw.obara@newcastle.ac.uk).

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As part of our commitment to career development for research colleagues, the University has developed 3 levels of research role profiles. These profiles set out firstly the generic competences and responsibilities expected of role holders at each level and secondly the general qualifications and experiences needed for entry at a particular level.

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