PhD position in AI‑powered 3D Ultrasound for Early Prenatal Screening
- Application deadline: 15/06/2025
- Status: CLOSED
12/05/2025
The project
EmbryoScan is an AI‑based platform that fuses multiple 2D ultrasound sweeps into high‑fidelity 3D volumes, with the ambition of optimizing routine fetal screening. Earlier, clearer imaging combined with automated segmentation and measurement promises faster, more accurate detection of congenital anomalies and a dramatic reduction in operator‑dependence.
Your role
As the doctoral researcher, you will drive the core machine‑learning research that underpins EmbryoScan, working on:
- Implicit‑representation neural networks and physics‑aware 3D reconstruction
- Automated plane finding & anatomy quantification
- Synthetic‑to‑real transfer learning and uncertainty estimation
- Close integration with clinical data from Vall d’Hebron Hospital for validation and deployment
You will publish in top‑tier venues, present at international conferences, and help translate the technology into clinical practice.
This position is funded by a PIF1/PRC fellowship offered by the Department of Engineering at Universitat Pompeu Fabra, which requires a teaching assistance load of 45 hours per academic year.
Why join Us?
- World‑class environment – Barcelona Center for New Medical Technologies (Department of Engineering, Universitat Pompeu Fabra) offers an ideal working environment, with a large critical mass of experienced senior investigators in diverse areas of biomedical engineering, junior postdoctoral researchers, and an international team of talented young PhD students.
- Interdisciplinary culture – embedded in the Barcelona Center for New Medical Technologies, you will collaborate daily with engineers, mathematicians and clinicians.
- Direct mentoring from Prof. Gemma Piella (ICREA Academia awardee, DonaTIC Scientist of the Year 2022, and PI of 7 completed competitive research projects; her group has graduated 14 PhDs to date) and from Dr. Alba Farràs (Maternal‑Fetal Medicine, Vall d’Hebron Hospital)
- Vibrant Barcelona life – a cosmopolitan city, English‑friendly graduate school, and travel budget for conferences and stays.
Supervision team
- Prof. Gemma Piella (UPF)
- Dr. Alba Farràs (Maternal‑Fetal Medicine, Vall d’Hebron Hospital)
What we offer
- Four‑year fully funded contract (salary + social security)
Salary according to the UPF PIF1/PRC scale, which is currently:
1470.98 € gross / month during the 1st and 2nd years
1576.05 € gross / month in the 3rd year
1970.06 € gross / month in the 4th year - Full tuition fees, equipment and conference travel budget
- Additional funding opportunities – The group will actively support applications to competitive fellowships and participation in project‑based top‑ups to further increase remuneration.
- Access to UPF’s doctoral training programme & transferable‑skills courses
Candidate profile
|
Must‑haves |
Nice‑to‑haves |
|
Master’s (or equivalent) in Biomedical / Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Applied Maths or related Strong Python & deep‑learning knowledge (including PyTorch or TensorFlow) Solid grounding in linear algebra, optimisation, probability Excellent written & spoken English |
Experience with ultrasound or volumetric imaging Publications in medical‑image analysis / computer vision Knowledge of implicit neural representations, physics‑informed ML Spanish/Catalan or willingness to learn |
How to apply
- Email a single PDF to [email protected] with:
- CV (2 pages max)
- Cover letter (1 page: why you, why us)
- Transcripts (BSc + MSc)
- Contact details of two referees
- Deadline: 15 June 2025 (23:59 CET) – applications reviewed as they arrive.
- Short‑listed candidates will be invited to a remote technical interview and to present a short research proposal.
Start date: October 2025 (negotiable).
UPF is an equal‑opportunity institution. We actively welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of gender, disability, or background.
Join us and help reshape early prenatal screening through cutting‑edge AI!