Research Specialist in Multimodal AI, Computational Pathology and Translational Medical AI Part-time NEW

Research Specialist in Multimodal AI, Computational Pathology and Translational Medical AI

Do you want to develop next-generation AI systems for precision medicine and bring them into real clinical use?

We are now recruiting a highly motivated Research Specialist to join our research group at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (MEB), Karolinska Institutet.

Description of the Subject Area

Our group develops and applies advanced artificial intelligence methods to improve diagnosis, risk stratification, and treatment decisions in prostate cancer. We work at the interface of machine learning, epidemiology, and clinical research, leveraging unique Swedish population-based data resources and large-scale clinical cohorts.

A central focus of our research is the development of multimodal AI systems that integrate digital pathology, imaging, molecular data, and clinical information. We are particularly interested in representation learning, attention-based models, and agentic AI systems capable of reasoning across heterogeneous data sources.

Importantly, we aim to translate AI methods into clinically deployed and regulatory-compliant systems, and collaborate closely with clinical partners and industry.

Your Mission

As a Research Specialist, you will contribute across the full pipeline — from method development to validation and translation into clinical settings, complying with applicable regulatory frameworks.

The position is a fixed-term employment for 1 year.

The successful candidate will:

• Develop and implement deep learning models for whole-slide images (WSIs), including multiple instance learning (MIL) and attention-based architectures
• Design and train multimodal AI models integrating pathology, clinical, and other biomedical data
• Build scalable pipelines for large-scale image and data processing
• Work with large real-world datasets from population-based registries and clinical cohorts
• Contribute to the translation of AI systems into clinical practice, including considerations of regulatory frameworks (e.g., IVDR, EU AI Act)
• Collaborate with clinicians, data scientists, and external partners, including industry and start-ups
• Participate in method development, publications, and grant writing
• Support supervision of junior researchers

Eligibility Requirements

For employment as Research Specialist at Karolinska Institutet, the eligibility requirements stated in the Guidelines for non-teaching positions at Karolinska Institutet are applied in relation to the established profile of employment.

To be eligible for employment as a Research Specialist, in addition to holding a Degree of Doctor, PhD, or having a foreign degree deemed equivalent to a Swedish doctoral degree, the applicant must have demonstrated research expertise as well as have documented postdoctoral research experience.

Assessment Criteria

The applicant shall have:

• PhD (or equivalent) in machine learning, computer science, bioinformatics, engineering, or a closely related field
• Strong expertise in deep learning and modern machine learning methods
• Extensive experience with Python and deep learning frameworks (e.g., PyTorch)
• Experience working with large-scale or high-dimensional datasets
• Proven scientific track record through publications
• Excellent written and spoken English

It is meritorious that the applicant has shown:

• Experience in computational pathology, including analysis of whole-slide images
• Experience with multiple instance learning, attention models, or transformer-based architectures
• Experience in multimodal machine learning
• Experience with medical imaging, omics, or clinical registry data
• Experience with regulatory aspects of medical AI, including IVDR, the EU AI Act, quality management under ISO 13485 and risk management under ISO 14971
• Experience from start-ups or industry, particularly in AI, medtech, or digital health
• Experience in translational research, bridging methodological development and clinical implementation
• Experience working in interdisciplinary teams with clinicians and healthcare systems

We place great emphasis on personal qualities in this recruitment. As a person, you are collegial and have the ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary team, reflecting a history of successful collaboration with computer science and medical researchers. The ability to work independently, together with exceptional organizational skills and a proven track record in developing structured solutions to complex problems, is essential.

The candidate should have excellent analytical skills, be meticulous, demonstrate curiosity and creativity, and have the ability to take responsibility for research projects, as evidenced by previous supervision of students and involvement in research at the intersection of computer science and pathology.

After an overall assessment of the expertise and merits of the applicants in relation to the subject area, Karolinska Institutet will determine which of them has the best potential to contribute to a positive development of the activities at KI.

What Do We Offer?

A creative and inspiring environment with wide-ranging expertise and interests. Karolinska Institutet is one of the world's leading medical universities. Here, we conduct successful medical research and hold the largest range of medical education in Sweden. At KI, you get to meet researchers working with a wide range of specialisms and methods, giving you ample opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience with the various scientific fields within medicine and health. It is the crossover collaborations, which have pushed KI to where it is today, at the forefront of global research. Several of the people you meet in healthcare are educated at KI. A close relationship with the health care providers is important for creating groundbreaking top quality education and research. Karolinska Institutet is also a state university, which entitles you to several benefits through our collective agreement.

At MEB, we offer a stimulating, collaborative, and international research environment with access to:

• Unique population-scale longitudinal datasets and national health registries
• Large collections of digitized pathology and clinical data
• Strong infrastructure for AI development and high-performance computing
• Close collaboration with Karolinska University Hospital, industry partners, and international research environments
• Opportunities to contribute to high-impact research with direct clinical and societal impact

Location: Solna

Application

We prefer that your application is written in English, but you can also apply in Swedish. An application must contain the following documents: PhD certificate, resumé, qualifications and description of planned research, presented in accordance with Karolinska Institutet's qualifications portfolio.

The application must be submitted through the Varbi recruitment system.

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