Implementation Science in Health Care

PhD Position in AI for Metabolism 80 %

Start of employment 01.04.2025 or by agreement

The Medical Knowledge and Decision Support Group at the University of Zurich is seeking an enthusiastic PhD candidate to join the MetaboLinkAI project, jointly funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation and the French Agence Nationale de la Recherche. The MetaboLinkAI project is an international collaboration of several universities and research groups that aims to advance metabolomics research by leveraging semantic web technologies to build knowledge graphs gathering enriched massive metabolomics datasets, facilitating data exploration and advanced hypothesis testing, as well as to develop new approaches to integrate AI/ML methods and knowledge graphs into metabolomics research to allow for new insights such as understanding the molecular foundations of life and environmental interactions.

The Lab
The Medical Knowledge and Decision Support group bridges from the development of computational methods to their biomedical applications. We develop knowledge-enhanced approaches to biomedical artificial intelligence and study how AI-based systems can be applied to medical knowledge management and decision support. We have particular expertise in the use of ontologies and knowledge graphs together with machine learning approaches, applied for example to metabolomics data analysis tasks, and in language models and multi-modal models, applied to tasks such as clinical note generation and processing, and evidence synthesis semi-automation. Our domain focus areas include metabolism, behavioural science, oncology and mental health. We are keen open science enthusiasts, and build tools based on open AI models. For more information see our website: https://hastingslab.org/

Your responsibilities

  • Developing and applying knowledge-based AI methods to the data-intensive field of metabolomics
  • Collaborating closely with the international project team
  • Supporting research, teaching, and organisational tasks of the group
  • Presenting of research progress in written and oral form

Your profile

Expected
  • Master's degree in computer science, machine learning, statistics, (applied) mathematics, bioinformatics, computational biology, or related field
  • Proficiency in Python
  • Working understanding of ML/AI methods including Transformers and Graph Neural Networks
  • Comfortable working on the command line and on HPC clusters
  • Interest in Biology, specifically Metabolism

Desirable
  • Deep understanding of ML/AI methods
  • Experiences with PyTorch or other deep learning framework
  • Experiences with cheminformatics libraries such as RDKit
  • Understanding of metabolic pathways

The working language is English, and the main place of work is Zurich.

Information on your application

Please submit a motivation letter, your CV, publication list, diplomas as a single PDF via email by 31 March 2025.

What we offer

Our employees benefit from a wide range of attractive offers. More

What we offer

Work-Life Balance
  • Flexible working models (such as part-time positions, mobile working, job-sharing)
  • Childcare at the kihz foundation of UZH and ETH


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Learning and Development
  • Wide range of continuing education courses of UZH and the Canton of Zurich
  • Language Center run jointly with ETH Zurich

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Food
  • Food and drinks at reduced prices in the UZH cafeterias
  • Lunch-Check-card with UZH contribution

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Healthcare
  • Special conditions on the Academic Sports Association ASVZ
  • Free seasonal flu vaccinations
  • Rest and relaxation at the quiet room in the university tower

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Discounts
  • Private traffic: Carsharing, rent a vehicle, parking space
  • Digitalization: Hardware, software, mobile phone subscriptions
  • Special conditions on hotel reservations

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Conditions of Employment
  • Policies of the UZH
  • Most UZH staff are employed according to public law


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International Services
  • Support for people from outside Switzerland

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Campuses
  • Campuses Zurich City, Zurich Irchel, Oerlikon and Schlieren
  • Sites Zurich West, Old Botanical Garden, Botanical Garden and Lengg

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Further information

Questions about the job

Janna Hastings Professor
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Working at UZH
The University of Zurich, Switzerland's largest university, offers a range of attractive positions in various subject areas and professional fields. With around 10,000 employees and currently 12 professional apprenticeship streams the University offers an inspiring working environment on cutting-edge research and top-class education. Put your talent and skills to work with us. Find out more about UZH as an employer!
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Please apply via our job portal www.jobs.uzh.ch.

Working at UZH

The University of Zurich, Switzerland's largest university, offers a range of attractive positions in various subject areas and professional fields. With around 10,000 employees and currently 12 professional apprenticeship streams the University offers an inspiring working environment on cutting-edge research and top-class education. Put your talent and skills to work with us. Find out more about UZH as an employer! More
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