PhD position: Real-World Data-driven Individualized Models for Clinical Decision Support in Parkinson’s Disease

(Valid from 28/09/2023 to 31/01/2024)   

Language: English (UK) 

Location Belval 

Country: Luxembourg   

Organisation data: LCSB 

Job Number: UOL06025 

Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract 

Duration 36 Month 

Schedule Type: Full Time 

Work Hours 40.0 Hours per Week 

Expected Start Date: 01/04/2024   

Functions: PhD Candidates 

Job (internal): Doctoral Researcher     

About us...

The Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) is an interdisciplinary research centre of the University of Luxembourg. We conduct fundamental and translational research in the field of Systems Biology and Biomedicine – in the lab, in the clinic and in silico. We focus on neurodegenerative processes and are especially interested in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease and their contributing factors. 

The LCSB recruits talented scientists from various disciplines: computer scientists, mathematicians, biologists, chemists, engineers, physicists and clinicians from more than 50 countries currently work at the LCSB. We excel because we are truly interdisciplinary and together, we contribute to science and society.

This multidisciplinary dimension is the core of the Digital Medicine group, led by Prof. Jochen Klucken, a joint group between the LCSB, the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) and the Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg (CHL). It focuses on personalized digital healthcare and understanding and evaluating the benchmarks of a new ecosystem for digital medicine. With a highly interdisciplinary team (e.g. neurologists, social scientists, data scientists, health economist), the digital medicine group addresses the questions of medical benefit, structural and procedural changes, as well as social acceptance of the resulting digital healthcare services. For more information, please visit our website.

  Your Role...

The Digital Medicine Research Group at LCSB is seeking a highly motivated PhD Candidate to actively contribute in the translation of objective (sensor-derived) and subjective (PROMS/PREMS) mobility outcomes into relevant information for clinical decision support. The candidate will work on data recorded from Parkinson’s patients in different scenarios, spanning from supervised scripted tasks in the laboratory to continuous unsupervised recording in the home environment, with the final goal of understanding how this new digital perspective could help toward a better characterization of the disease progression and a personalized treatment strategy.

In particular, the doctoral research will be centered on the development of individualized models of disease progression for data driven clinical decision support. This project will be divided into three phases. First, the candidate will evaluate cross-sectional and longitudinal correlations between clinical scores, patient-reported outcomes, and sensor derived gait parameters collected in the lab setting during supervised scripted tasks. Next, the information recorded during free-living monitoring of the patients in their home environment through wearable sensors, patient reported outcomes, and patient reported experience measures will be integrated. Finally, during the third and last part of the project, the candidate will exploit the previously acquired experiences for the creation of individualized data-driven models for the treatment cycles in the patient’s journey, where the changes in patient’s condition are not related to the natural disease progression but to a clinical intervention or a modification in the medication regimen.

To achieve these scientific results, the candidate will become part of a team with multi-dimensional expertise, collaborating closely with clinicians, data scientists, UX/UI designers, social and economic researchers composing the Digital Medicine group.

The open position is part of the dHealthPD project, funded by the FNR-PEARL program.

For further information, please contact stefano.sapienza@uni.lu. Use the job title and reference number mentioned above in the subject line of your email.

  What we expect from you…

We seek a highly motivated student with the following profile:

• A Master’s degree (MSc or equivalent) in data science, computational biology, biomedical engineering, bioinformatics, or a related field, with a strong interest in translational medicine and digital health solutions
• Good programming skills in Python or MATLAB
• Fluency in English (written and oral) is mandatory, skills in German and/or French will be considered an advantage
• Willingness to work closely in a multidisciplinary team
• Strong motivation to engage in the research topic and to collaborate with our industry and clinical partners
• Passionate about using technology to conduct research
• Prior knowledge of ML/AI analysis for healthcare, IMU sensors, or neurodegenerative diseases will be considered an advantage

We expect from the candidate:

• To work closely with other team members and external members (IT developers, data scientists, clinical care providers) on the data analysis of sensor data and the design, implementation and validation of clinical decision support tools
• To write a doctoral thesis in the field of digital medicine
• To present research results at national and international workshops and conferences
• To publish scientific papers in peer-reviewed international journals

  Here’s what awaits you at the LCSB...

• Excellent work environment with state-of-the-art infrastructure, laboratory and administrative support
• Truly connected. We work together with hospitals and research institutes on a national and international level as well as industrial partners. Connection between science and society is very important to us. From our school lab – the Scienteens Lab – to the different outreach activities and collaborative partnerships with patient associations, we love to listen to society’s needs and share our passion for science
• Be part of a multicultural team. At the LCSB we have more than 50 nationalities. Throughout the year, we organise team-building events, networking activities and more

Find out more about us!

  In Short...

• Contract type: Fixed Term Contract 36 Month (extendable up to 48 months if required)
• Work hours: Full Time 40.0 Hours per Week
• Employee and student status
• Location: Belval
• Job reference: UOL06025

The yearly gross salary for every PhD at the UL is EUR 40952 (full time)

  How to apply...

Applications should be submitted online and include:

• A full curriculum vitae, including any publications
• The contact details of two referees, and/or provide reference letters
• A copy of the relevant diplomas and the transcript of the results
• A cover letter indicating your motivation for the project, your relevant experience and future interests (maximum two pages)
• A brief summary of your master thesis (maximum one page)

Early application is highly encouraged, as the applications will be processed upon reception. Please apply formally through the HR system. Applications by email will not be considered.

The University of Luxembourg embraces inclusion and diversity as key values. We are fully committed to removing any discriminatory barrier related to gender, and not only, in recruitment and career progression of our staff.

  About the University of Luxembourg... University of Luxembourg is an international research university with a distinctly multilingual and interdisciplinary character. The University was founded in 2003 and has more than 6,700 students and more than 2,000 employees from around the world. The University’s faculties and interdisciplinary centres focus on research in the areas of Computer Science and ICT Security, Materials Science, European and International Law, Finance and Financial Innovation, Education, Contemporary and Digital History. In addition, the University focuses on cross-disciplinary research in the areas of Data Modelling and Simulation as well as Health and System Biomedicine. Times Higher Education ranks the University of Luxembourg #3 worldwide for its “international outlook,” #20 in the Young University Ranking 2021 and among the top 250 universities worldwide.