PhD on Safe AI for Organ Allocation at Eurotransplant

Introduction

The goal of this project is to is to design and evaluate organ allocation mechanisms, with a particular focus on the efficiency and fairness of Eurotransplant’s liver allocation system.

Job Description

We are looking for a strong, motivated PhD-student with an analytical, algorithmic background who is interested in pursuing a PhD-project devoted to the allocation of donor organs to patients. The goal of this project is to is to design and evaluate organ allocation mechanisms, with a particular focus on the efficiency and fairness of Eurotransplant’s liver allocation system.

The project is in cooperation with, and partially funded by, Eurotransplant. The project has a large applied component, as results on Eurotransplant donor and patient populations can inform Eurotransplant policies.

The position is for a period of 4 years at the Eindhoven University of Technology, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. The student’s working locations will be at Eindhoven University where the PhD candidate will be supervised by experts in combinatorial optimization, machine learning and fairness-awareness in algorithmic decision support, and the Eurotransplant headquarters in Leiden, where access to the domain expertise and real-world data and its interpretation is accessible for the project team.

We are looking for a student with a strong background in at least one of the following subjects: statistics, machine learning, discrete optimization, operations research. A strong interest in the medical and health policy aspects of the project are a plus. An interest in both technical and socio-technical aspects of effective and fair organ allocation is encouraged.

Job Requirements

• A master’s degree and solid background (or an equivalent university degree) in Mathematics, Computer Science, Data Science or a closely related field.
• Experience and/or strong motivation to work with real and synthetic data.
• Experience and/or strong motivation to achieve both publishable results and real-world impact.
• Experience in related topics is a plus.
• Experience working with a research team and domain experts is a plus.
• Good academic writing.
• Spoken and written English at C1 level.
• Fluency in Dutch is not required.

Conditions of Employment

A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer you: 

• Full-time employment for four years, with an intermediate assessment after nine months. You will spend a minimum of 10% of your four-year employment on teaching tasks, with a maximum of 15% per year of your employment. 
• Salary and benefits (such as a pension scheme, paid pregnancy and maternity leave, partially paid parental leave) in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, scale P (min. € 3,059 max. € 3,881).  
• A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%. 
• High-quality training programs and other support to grow into a self-aware, autonomous scientific researcher. At TU/e we challenge you to take charge of your own learning process. 
• An excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus children's day care and sports facilities.  
• An allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs. 
• A Staff Immigration Team and a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) for international candidates. 

Information and application

About us

Eindhoven University of Technology is an internationally top-ranking university in the Netherlands that combines scientific curiosity with a hands-on attitude. Our spirit of collaboration translates into an open culture and a top-five position in collaborating with advanced industries. Fundamental knowledge enables us to design solutions for the highly complex problems of today and tomorrow. 

Eurotransplant is responsible for the allocation of donor organs in Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Slovenia. This international collaborative framework includes all transplant hospitals, tissue-typing laboratories and hospitals where organ donations take place.

Information

Do you recognize yourself in this profile and would you like to know more? Please contact Bart Smeulders (B.Smeulders@tue.nl), or Frits Spieksma (F.C.R.Spieksma@tue.nl) from the Combinatorial Optimization group and Hilde Weerts (h.j.p.weerts@tue.nl), or Mykola Pechenizkiy (m.pechenizkiy@tue.nl) from the Data and AI Cluster.

Visit our website for more information about the application process or the conditions of employment. You can also contact HR Services (HRServices.MCS@tue.nl).

Are you inspired and would like to know more about working at TU/e? Please visit our career page.

Application

We invite you to submit a complete application by using the apply button. The application should include a:

• Cover letter in which you describe your motivation and qualifications for the position.
• Curriculum vitae, including a list of your publications and the contact information of three references.
• A list of courses and grades.
• A copy or a link to MSc thesis or a representative research publication.

We look forward to receiving your application and will screen it as soon as possible. The vacancy will remain open until the position is filled.