Research Associate in Surgical Vision and AI

Location:

Hamlyn Centre for Robotic Surgery, Imperial College South Kensington Campus

About the role

Applicants are invited to apply for a new vacancy at Postdoctoral Research Associate level in Surgical Vision and AI for intraoperative surgical navigation and computer-assisted diagnosis. The post is based within the Hamlyn Centre at Imperial College London and the appointed applicant will carry out research at the South Kensington laboratories and at Hammersmith Hospital. The Hamlyn Centre is dedicated to developing safe, effective and accessible imaging, sensing and robotics technologies that can reshape the future of healthcare for both developing and developed countries. The Hamlyn Centre is part of the Institute of Global Health Innovation and is supported by two stake-holding departments, Mechanical Engineering, and Surgery & Cancer.

The postholder will play a pivotal role in the development of a next-generation platform for cancer surgery, which not only removes tumour tissues, but also creates a cellular-resolution phenotypic map of the disease in real time. Together with intraoperative imaging tools, the proposed platform will reveal the complete heterogeneity of the disease, will inform the operator about the effectiveness of the intervention and potential further therapeutic options. The proposed solution involves cost-effective, low-profile fibre robots delivering picosecond laser energy to achieve ultimate resolution with regards to tissue ablation and phenotypic identification of cells within and around the tumour mass. To this effect, the role focuses on the integration of the following elements:

• Computer vision and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for intraoperative surgical navigation during robotic-assisted surgical task execution;
• Machine Learning (ML) for multimodal tissue characterisation for computer-assisted diagnosis and decision making.

The post is funded by the CRUK grant “Cancer surgery at systems medicine level: simultaneous molecular mapping and resecting of solid tumours using spectroscopically guided semi-autonomous surgical robots” led by Prof Zoltan Takats.

What you would be doing

Key responsibilities include the development of a platform that integrates signals from multiple imaging modalities, including video, probe-based Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy, Mass Spectrometry and, the use of advanced Machine Learning methodologies for the analysis of the multimodal data.

What we are looking for

We are looking for high calibre applicants with expertise in at least a few from the following areas:

• Programming (C++, Python, etc)
• Machine Learning / AI
• Computer Vision
• Medical Image Analysis

Prior experience in medical applications and medical data processing will be an advantage.

What we can offer you

• The opportunity to continue your career at a world-leading institution and be part of our mission to continue science for humanity.
• Grow your career: gain access to Imperial’s sector-leading dedicated career support for researchers as well as opportunities for promotion and progression.
• Sector-leading salary and remuneration package (including 41 days off a year and generous pension schemes).
• Be part of a diverse, inclusive and collaborative work culture with various staff networks and resources to support your personal and professional wellbeing.

Further Information

This is a Full-Time, Fixed-term for 12 months initially, with scope to be extended to 3 years.

The salary range is £49,017- £52,922 per annum, depending on level of experience and expertise.

Research will be carried out at the Hamlyn Centre laboratories in South Kensington.

*Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as a Research Assistant within the salary range £43,863 - £47,223 per annum.

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