Career

Job title: Postdoctoral Associate in AI/ML for Biomedical Image Analysis

Employer: Danube Private University

Institute: Research Center for Medical Image Analysis and Artificial Intelligence (MIAAI)

Working Location: Wiener Neustadt, Austria (the possibility of partly working from home can be discussed)

Salary: Competitive salary according to the Danube Private University salary scheme for full-time position (40 hours/week)

Duration:  Two years. The position is first provided for one year, and after a positive evaluation, it will be extended for an additional year

Closing date: Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled (deadline: May 12, 2024)

Planned starting date: June 1, 2024 (slightly flexible)
Contact: amirreza.mahbod@dp-uni.ac.at

Description:  The Research Center for Medical Image Analysis and Artificial Intelligence (MIAAI) at Danube Private University, led by Ramona Woitek, Univ.-Prof. Dr. was founded in 2022. It currently comprises multiple multidisciplinary researchers focusing on the computer-based analysis of radiological and histological images. Their work includes applying machine learning and artificial intelligence for tasks such as predicting treatment responses in different types of cancers and automated image segmentation.

This position is offered within the framework of a WWTF (Vienna Science and Technology Fund)-funded project, entitled “LymphoidStructureMiner: AI-based exploration of the immunological contexture of lymphoid structures in translational research”. The project is a joint effort between the Medical University of Vienna, with Diana Mechtcheriakova, Assoc.-Prof. Priv. Doz. Dr. Dipl.-Ing. (Principal Investigator), Anastasia Meshcheryakova, PhD (Co-Principal Investigator), and Danube Private University, with Amirreza Mahbod, Ass. Prof. MSc MSc PhD (Co-Principal Investigator). The position offers the opportunity to work in a multidisciplinary team that includes experts from biology, medicine, and computer science in one of the most trending fields of medical image analysis.

The successful postdoctoral candidate will conduct the research at MIAAI at Danube Private University under the main supervision of Amirreza Mahbod, Ass. Prof. MSc MSc PhD in close collaboration with the research group “Molecular Systems Biology and Pathophysiology” led by Diana Mechtcheriakova, Assoc.-Prof. Priv. Doz. Dr. Dipl.-Ing.

Job Duties:

• Developing robust, accurate, and novel deep learning-based algorithms for segmentation and classification at nuclei-based, patch-based, and whole slide image levels in histological images.

• Where applicable, producing interpretable deep learning-based algorithms.

• Creating and controlling annotation frameworks for various objects and structures, defined in the LymphoidStructureMiner project.

•  Working with both publicly available and in-house generated image datasets to train and evaluate models.

• Publishing and communicating scientific data in journals and at conferences.

Minimum Qualifications:

• PhD degree in computer science, biomedical engineering, bioinformatics, or a related field

• Strong publication record in subject-specific journals and peer-reviewed conferences

• Experience with deep learning and convolutional neural networks

• Experience with computer vision tasks (e.g., instance segmentation, semantic segmentation, classification, detection, etc.)

• Experience with Python and one of the deep learning frameworks (Tensorflow or PyTorch)

• Experience working with both Windows-based and Linux-based systems.

• Excellent communication skills in English (both oral and written)

• Motivation and ability to work independently

Preferred Qualifications:

• Basic understanding of biology and expertise in medical image analysis, especially in histopathological image analysis.

•  Experience in working with advanced Deep Learning-based models, such as vision transformers, generative models, and graph neural networks.

Application:

Please provide

• Cover letter and motivation for application

•  Curriculum vitae including a list of publications

• Two or more referees – names and addresses of two or more individuals who are willing to provide a letter of recommendation for you

Submit your application documents to amirreza.mahbod@dp-uni.ac.at

Deadline: May 12, 2024

Interview for the position will be held remotely and/or in person. The exact date will be communicated as soon as the shortlist has been finalized.

If you have questions, feel free to contact amirreza.mahbod@dp-uni.ac.at

Job title: Master Thesis position in biomedical research and image analysis

Employer: Medical University of Vienna

Institute: Institute of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research

Working Location: Medical University of Vienna, AKH building, level 4Q

Stipendium: about 440€ per month

Duration: 10-12 months

Closing date: Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled

Planned starting date: Summer or September 2024 (flexible)
Contact: diana.mechtcheriakova@meduniwien.ac.at

Description: A Master’s Thesis position is available from June 2024 in the research group “Molecular Systems Biology and Pathophysiology” of Assoc.-Prof. Priv. Doz. Dr. Diana Mechtcheriakova at the Institute of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.

Our scientific directions are systems biology and systems medicine as part of the global concept of personalized medicine, B-cell biology, and immuno-oncology. Special interests refer to the biology of germinal centers; the architectural complexity and functionality of lymphoid structures, producing memory B cells and plasma cells; developing of integrative systems biology-based algorithms in a process of discovery of novel disease-/immune-associated checkpoints and patients’ stratification strategies; and the cellular sphingolipid/lysophosphatidate system in immunity and cancer.

We are seeking a highly motivated Master's student to work within the framework of WWTF (Vienna Science and Technology Fund)-funded project, entitled “LymphoidStructureMiner: AI-based exploration of the immunological contexture of lymphoid structures in translational research”.

Link to the project website: https://sites.google.com/view/lymphoidstructureminer/home

The LymphoidStructureMiner is a joint effort between the Medical University of Vienna, with Diana Mechtcheriakova, Assoc.-Prof. Priv. Doz. Dr. Dipl.-Ing. (PI), Anastasia Meshcheryakova, PhD (Co-PI), and Danube Private University, with Amirreza Mahbod, Ass. Prof. MSc MSc PhD (Co-PI).

Job Duties:

•  Immunostaining of tissue sections for predefined markers and marker combinations;

• Digitalization of stained slides using the computerized microscopy-based system TissueFAXS;

• Manual annotation of the digitalized images; manual segmentation at the tissue-based level and the cell-based manual annotation to train and test the algorithms;

• Expert-based evaluation of the performance of newly developed AI algorithms;

•  Presenting the results on internal meetings.

Skills and experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Biotechnology or a related area;

• Good basic knowledge of cell/molecular biology; 

• Enthusiasm to embark into new areas and to learn new technologies and software; 

• Enjoy working both independently and in a team; microscopy expertise is a plus; 

• Programming understanding is a plus; 

• Good organizational, analytical and communication skills (in English).

We offer the opportunity to work in a multidisciplinary team that includes experts from biology, medicine, and computer science in one of the most trending fields of medical image analysis.

Application:

Please send a motivation letter, Curriculum vitae, examination records for Bachelor study and for Master study so far, and recommendation letter (optional) to the email address above.