PhD Position at ETH Zürich within the Marie Skłodowska-Curie ITN "MLFPM”

The Marie Curie Innovative Training Network "Machine Learning Frontiers in Precision Medicine" (MLFPM; www.mlfpm.eu) brings together leading European research institutes in machine learning and statistical genetics, both from the private and public sector, to train 14 early stage researchers. These scientists will develop and apply machine learning methods to health data. The goal is to reveal new insights into disease mechanisms and therapy outcomes, and to exploit the findings for precision medicine, which hopes to offer personalized preventive care and therapy selection for each patient.

Besides working on their project at their home institutions, the researchers will participate in network-wide training events like summer schools and retreats. Moreover, they will conduct two secondments of three months each at other network partners.

The following position is available at ETH Zürich in Basel, Switzerland:

ESR2 will work on Machine Learning and Causal Inference to Optimize Genomic Interventions using Disease State Representations with Caroline Uhler at ETH Zürich in Basel, Switzerland.

Applicants with a background in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Engineering, Medicine, Biology or related fields are encouraged to apply. We expect that applicants hold a university degree that qualifies them for doctoral studies at their recruiting organization.

MLFPM is striving for diversity. In particular, we are committed to increase the percentage of female scientists and therefore especially encourage them to apply.

Recruitment requirements

At the time of their recruitment, candidates must be in the first four years (full-time equivalent research experience) of their research careers and have not been awarded a doctoral degree.

Moreover, candidates have to fulfill the mobility condition: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Switzerland for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the recruitment date.

All researchers will be enrolled in PhD programs, so they need to have a university degree that qualifies for PhD studies, i.e., a Masters degree or equivalent.

Candidates with a biological or medical background, without or with little mathematical background, are also encouraged to apply. Upon recruitment, mathematical preparation plans will be organized for these candidates where needed.

Working conditions

All researchers will be full-time employed at their institution. Special family situations might qualify for part-time employment. The researchers are expected to conduct two secondments of three months each at other network partners.

Recruitment and application process

The board of the network will evaluate all applications, and the top-ranked candidates will be invited for interviews.

The position is available at the earliest convenience but no later than January 1, 2020.

We look forward to receiving your online application with the following documents: CV, your degree certificate or a transcript of records, and a cover letter including your motivation to apply (max. 2 pages). Please note that we exclusively accept applications submitted through our online application portal. Applications via email or postal services will not be considered. The application deadline is September 30, 2019.

Further information about MLFPM can be found on our website www.mlfpm.eu. For questions about the position, please contact the MLFPM project manager Dr. Katharina Heinrich (katharina.heinrich@bsse.ethz.ch) (no applications).