PhD Candidate 'AI-Driven Handheld Ultrasound for Military Trauma Care'

Job description

Job description

Do you want to develop artificial intelligence for medical imaging to improve care for injured military personnel?
Military trauma care takes place under challenging conditions. During military operations, medical resources may be limited, specialist expertise may not always be available, and evacuation to a hospital may take hours or even days. Under these circumstances, healthcare providers must be able to rapidly and reliably identify a patient’s injuries and determine the treatment required. Rapid diagnostics can be lifesaving.
Ultrasound offers significant opportunities in this regard. Portable ultrasound equipment enables healthcare providers to examine patients at the point of care, without relying on extensive diagnostic facilities. One important application is the Extended Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (EFAST), which can be used to detect signs of internal bleeding and pneumothorax, among other conditions. However, performing and interpreting ultrasound examinations requires specific knowledge and experience, which may not be readily accessible in forward-deployed medical treatment facilities.
Can artificial intelligence make ultrasound more accessible and effective for military healthcare providers in operational environments?
This is the central challenge of this PhD research project. Ultrasound offers valuable opportunities for rapid, portable diagnostics in military trauma care, particularly in forward-deployed settings where access to advanced diagnostic equipment and specialised expertise may be limited.
You will investigate how artificial intelligence can support military healthcare providers in acquiring and interpreting ultrasound images. The research will start by exploring existing AI-assisted ultrasound technologies, identifying unmet operational needs and determining where further technological development could provide the greatest benefit to military healthcare.
Applications such as Extended Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (EFAST), used to identify potentially life-threatening injuries, provide a relevant starting point. However, the research will also explore other promising applications of ultrasound and AI across military trauma care.
Beyond developing and evaluating AI algorithms, the project will investigate how these technologies can be effectively integrated into military medical practice, taking into account the capabilities of healthcare providers and the specific challenges of operational environments.
Although military healthcare is the primary focus, the resulting knowledge and technologies may also benefit civilian emergency care, including ambulance services and emergency departments.

Requirements

Profile

You are an analytical, curious and enthusiastic researcher who is motivated to conduct independent scientific research. You have a strong interest in translating technological innovations into clinical practice and enjoy working in multidisciplinary teams with researchers, physicians, engineers and other healthcare professionals.
In addition, you possess excellent communication skills and are proficient in English, both spoken and written. You are eager to contribute to innovative solutions that can improve trauma care in challenging operational environments.
A Master's degree in Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering, Technical Medicine, or a related field.
Experience with deep learning techniques and programming in Python or a comparable programming language.
Affinity with medical (ultrasound) imaging and image analysis.
An interest in military healthcare; previous experience within the Netherlands Armed Forces is considered an advantage.

Conditions of employment

Fixed-term
contract
: 4 years.
Well arranged
With us, you receive 8% holiday allowance, an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and – depending on your role – an irregular hours allowance ranging from 47% to 72%. In addition, you are entitled to 176 vacation hours per year (based on a 36-hour work week).

Compensation

You will receive a €0.18 per kilometer travel allowance. Public transport costs (2nd class) are fully reimbursed. If you work partly or entirely from home, you will receive €2.40 per home-working day. This way, everything is well arranged—wherever you work.
Flexible benefits scheme
With our flexible benefits scheme, you decide how to use part of your employment benefits. Purchase extra leave days or use your year-end bonus to buy a bicycle with tax benefits. You choose what suits you best.
Warm welcome
We believe a good start is important. Thanks to our onboarding app, you’ll be well prepared even before your first working day. During the introduction day, you’ll get to know your colleagues and our organization.
Changing allowance
If you are required to wear Radboudumc work clothing and change outside working hours, you will receive a changing allowance of €80 gross per month for a full-time position, provided this applies to your role.
Salary increase
At our organization, your work is valued. Your salary will increase in line with the collective labor agreement in two steps: by 3.5% as of July 1, 2026, and an additional 3.5% as of May 1, 2027. This means you’ll see a solid increase in your salary within a short period of time.
Work–life balance
We consider a healthy work–life balance essential. Through inspiring training sessions, mindfulness activities, and caregiver consultation hours, we support you in every phase of your life.
Growth and development
Our online learning environment offers a wide range of training courses, e-learnings, and educational programs—from professional specialization to personal development. This allows you to keep growing and make the most of your talents.

Employer
Radboudumc
Welcome to Radboud university medical center (Radboudumc), where our research groups strive for innovative solutions that make impact on health and healthcare. We challenge the status quo to overcome current and future health challenges. Our goal is to shape the future of healthcare for generations to come. Our focus is on prevention, sustainability, and meaningful care, which we achieve through our in-depth understanding of disease mechanisms, clinical science, public health research, medical technology and data science. Our approach is centered on breakthroughs that can truly enhance personalized healthcare and public health.
At Radboudumc, a comprehensive range of research programs provide the compass for our research efforts. Each program has a clear goal, where collaboration within and outside our organization is highly valued. We integrate care, education and research in partnership with our patients to ensure that our research programs have significant impact on health and healthcare. We invite you to join us in our mission to create a healthy future for all.

Department
Department of Medical Imaging
Place of work
Nijmegen is the oldest Dutch city with a rich history and one of the liveliest city centers in the Netherlands. Radboud University has over 17,000 students. Radboud University Medical Center is a leading academic center for medical science, education and health care with over 10,000 staff and 3,000 students.
Department of Medical Imaging
The Department of Medical Imaging is one of the most active research departments of the Radboudumc. More than 200 researchers are continuously striving to optimize healthcare. Close cooperation between preclinical researchers, radiologists and cardiologists gives a fantastic opportunity to implement new imaging techniques in clinical practice, and you will be working directly in this field.
Medical Ultrasound Imaging Center: MUSIC
The MUSIC laboratory works on the development, optimization, and clinical evaluation of new ultrasound imaging methods. For that, MUSIC collaborates with major vendors of ultrasound equipment. The focus of MUSIC is on AI-driven handheld ultrasound and development of high-end ultrasound solutions for improved diagnosis of breast cancer, carotid diseases, and liver steatosis.
AI-driven handheld ultrasound solutions are developed for improving diagnosis in low resource settings, and by general practitioners and doctors in child consultation centers. For that, the group has researchers with various backgrounds form engineering to medical doctors providing wide-ranging expertise in image reconstruction and processing, deep learning and other AI methods, and analysis, along with the design and performance of patient trials. The laboratory works closely with radiologists and industry.
You will be appointed as a PhD candidate at Radboudumc, which will be your primary place of work. The research will be conducted in collaboration with the Civil-Military Centre of Expertise for Trauma Care (CETC). The CETC is a civil-military partnership between the Netherlands Armed Forces and UMC Utrecht, dedicated to improving trauma care for both military personnel and civilians. Its ambition is to prevent avoidable deaths and minimise long-term disability following traumatic injuries. To achieve this, the CETC brings together scientific research, medical expertise, and the needs of military healthcare. Through this collaboration, you will also hold an appointment with the Ministry of Defense.
As part of this PhD project, you will work closely with researchers and clinical experts at Radboudumc, as well as healthcare professionals and researchers within the Ministry of Defense - CETC. This collaboration offers the opportunity to combine advanced scientific research with practical applications in military healthcare.

Additional information

The first job interviews will take place early december. Please take this into account.
This position requires a Certificate of Conduct (VOG).
We are recruiting for this position ourselves. Unsolicited marketing is not appreciated, but do feel free to share the vacancy in your network!
Want to know more?
We’re happy to provide more information!
Chris de Korte
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Send an email
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Radboud university medical center is a university medical center for patient care, scientific research, and education in Nijmegen. We want to have a significant impact on healthcare.
Will you make the difference?