PhD student Neurology in the new ICAI Stroke Lab: from 112 to Rehabilitation

Job description

Each year, more than 30,000 patients with ischemic stroke are admitted in a Dutch hospital and this number is increasing. Acute treatment with intravenous thrombolytics and endovascular thrombectomy improves the functional outcomes of these patients. The beneficial effects of these treatments are highly time dependent, so every patient needs to be treated as soon as possible (‘time = brain’). Although randomized trials on the efficacy of these treatments showed overall time-dependent beneficial effects, the expected benefits for individual patients may vary. Intravenous thrombolytics can be provided in almost all Dutch hospitals, but endovascular thrombectomy only in specialized intervention centers. Decisions about prehospital triage, ambulance transportation and acute treatment need to be taken under time pressure, both in the field as in the hospital. We need better tools to support clinicians in their decision making, taking the characteristics of individual patients into account.

In this PhD position, you will integrate patient data from pre-hospital and in-hospital sources into decision support tools to tailor treatment to the risks and needs of every individual patient. This PhD project is one of the five PhD positions in the ICAI Stroke Lab, one of the ROBUST program's labs. The ROBUST program on Trustworthy AI-based Systems adds 17 new labs to the ICAI’s current ecosystem. The aim of the ICAI Stroke lab is to improve the outcome of stroke patients by optimizing the whole chain from the 112-call to rehabilitation with AI. Specifically, we intend to develop and assess AI-based patient stratification (faster, more accurate) for acute stroke care interventions, AI based functional outcome prediction after endovascular therapy, image-guidance in endovascular interventions for better therapeutic outcome and data-driven individualized stroke recovery policies, based on patients’ current abilities and on constantly updated prognostic models for stroke recovery. In addition, we will study the acceptance of such AI-models by clinical decision-makers. There will be strong collaboration between the PhD students in the ICAI lab.As part of the collaboration in the project, visits to Philips Healthcare (Best) are envisioned.

Work environment

The research in the ICAI Stroke Lab is a collaborative effort by the Departments of Public Health, Neurology, Epidemiology, Rehabilitation Medicine, and Radiology & Nuclear Medicine from the Erasmus MC, the Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management from the Erasmus University, and Philips Healthcare.

As a PhD student for this position, you will be employed in the Department of Neurology of the Erasmus MC. The department of Neurology stands for excellent neurological care and a healthy population through research and education. The department participates in various multidisciplinary centers of expertise, such as the Erasmus MC Stroke Center. The Erasmus MC Stroke Center initiates research for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of stroke and other neurovascular diseases and translates research results into high-level patient care. Within the Stroke Center, the department of Neurology collaborates with other Erasmus MC departments, including Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, Rehabilitation Medicine and Public Health.

The research will be conducted under the supervision of Dr. Bob Roozenbeek (Neurology), Prof. Dr. Hester Lingsma (Public Health) and Dr. Daniel Bos (Radiology & Nuclear Medicine / Epidemiology).

Qualifications and skills

We are looking for highly motivated candidates with a university MSc degree, who want to contribute to the rapidly developing field of stroke treatment.

• The candidate should have a clinical sciences degree (e.g., Medicine, Epidemiology, Clinical Health Sciences, (Technical) Medicine, Human Movement Sciences) with an interest in data science and machine learning. Or an engineering degree (e.g., Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science, Applied Mathematics, or related field) with an interest in medical applications.
• Candidates are expected to have outstanding research skills, to be well organized and result-driven, and to have a strong team spirit.
• Candidates also must have strong Dutch and English language skills (written and oral).

Before you apply please check our conditions for employment.

Terms of employment

• You will receive a temporary position for 4 years.
• The gross monthly salary is € 2.789 ,- in the 1st year and increases gradually to € 3.536,- in the 4th year (scale OIO).
• Excellent fringe benefits, such as a 13th month that is already paid out in November and a induvidual travel expense package.
• Pension insurance with ABP. We take care of approximately 2/3 of the monthly contribution.
• Special benefits, such as a incompany physiotherapist and bicycle repairer. And there is also a sports club where you can work on your fitness after work.
• An International Office which aids you in preparing for your arrival and stay. 

More information

For more information about this position, please contact Bob Roozenbeek:b.roozenbeek@erasmusmc.nl.

If you are excited by the thought of this position and would like to apply, please do so by using the application form on our website. Some demographic data of selected applicants will be shared with Maastricht University who is coordinating the recruitment drive for LTP ROBUST.

You may also check the other vacancies for this ICAI Lab at Erasmus MC (3 PhDs) and Erasmus University (1 PhD).

No agencies please.