PostDoc in Computer Science & Digital Health (closed)

We review applications on a rolling basis

At this time, only applications from EU/Swiss students can be considered. 

Description of the Scientific Environment

The Quality of Life Technologies (QoL) lab at the Information Systems and Services Science of the Center for Informatics (CUI) of the University of Geneva is looking for a motivated post doctoral candidate. The research topic relates to research on Quality of Life assessment and improvement for healthy populations while leveraging current QoL lab expertise in computer science, specifically in mobile communication and computing technologies.

Research Context

The post-doctoral candidate research will contribute to Quality of Life assessment and improvement for healthy populations – while leveraging current lab expertise in mobile communication and computing technologies. More specifically, the thesis focus is on researching Risk Assessment Toolbox – a set of decision support algorithms and computational models that leverage personalized, longitudinal datasets about the individual’s lifestyle and, in the context of the current evidence in medicine, are able to provide a likelihood of the user being diagnosed with a chronic disease in the future. Factors for risk assessment will be extracted after applying advanced statistical analysis and iterative development of data mining and machine learning-based algorithms to previously labeled electronic health records (EHR) of aging populations in Denmark, and Switzerland, amongst others. Additional datasets will be collected within the project. Personalized wearable technologies and smartphone applications will be modeled as a basis for the user’s “lifestyle sensor.” The thesis research will employ user-centric design methods and rely on interdisciplinary collaboration (i.e., different experts within the project and different user groups). It will also leverage the mixed-methods (quantitative-qualitative) approaches. The thesis research will contribute to software being developed for the mQoL Living Lab (implying Android/iOS, Python, R, Kotlin, Java, etc., see high-level mQoL-Lab platform description at GitLab). The applicant should be comfortable using standard machine learning libraries (e.g., sk-learn, pandas, PyTorch, and TensorFlow/Keras) and data visualisation software (e.g., Plotly, Seaborn, Matplotlib). Additionally, the CUI has its own FacLab, with 3D printers, laser cutters, and other tools, which may be freely leveraged within the project.

The principal supervisor is Professor Katarzyna Wac

Main Responsibilities Include:

• Managing own research within the QoL Lab scope (including students, papers, proposals, etc.)
• Contributing additional mQoL-Lab features
• Executing full lifecycle software development and deployment in real-life settings with users

The chosen candidate will be hired on a 1-year renewable contract. The position has a maximum duration span of 5 years. The first year will be a trial period during which both parties can terminate the working agreement with a 3-month notice period.

Formal Requirements
Applicants should hold a Ph.D. degree in bioinformatics, computer science, or related fields with excellent results and excellent English skills. French is welcome but not required. As criteria for assessing the qualifications, emphasis will also be laid on previous projects, publications, and relevant industrial experience (if any).

At this time, only applications from EU/Swiss students can be considered. 

Application Procedure

The application, in English, must be submitted electronically as one PDF file to Prof. Katarzyna Wac (katarzyna.wac@unige.ch). Please include:

• Detailed CV and Publication List, including Google Scholar profile link (up to date) and grant acquisition and management experience
• Motivation letter including a summary of the planned research project (1 page)
• Diplomas and transcripts of records (BSc, MSc, and Ph.D.)
• List of publications
• Other information for consideration, e.g., Github repository link
• Full contact details (name, full affiliation, and email) of 3 relevant referees

The University of Geneva is committed to creating an inclusive work environment with a diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or age.

Questions

For specific information about the position, please contact the principal supervisor Prof. Katarzyna Wac (katarzyna.wac@unige.ch)