Job Description

A position exists for a part-time Research Assistant in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics to work on the development of novel machine learning methods with applications in medicine, pharmacology, and healthcare. The research will be conducted in the van der Schaar Lab under the supervision of Professor Mihaela van der Schaar.


As a Research Assistant, you will contribute to the design and implementation of state-of-the-art machine learning models for medical applications. Responsibilities include developing and evaluating algorithms in Python, applying large language models (LLMs) and deep learning methods to clinical and genomic datasets, and building interpretable models of disease progression and treatment response. You will support reproducible research workflows, contribute to open-source tools, and assist with the preparation of research outputs for leading conferences and journals. You will also engage with collaborators across medicine and computer science and participate actively in weekly lab meetings.


The successful candidate will be a student with a strong interest in machine learning and will typically also hold a prior degree in a

quantitative or computational discipline

(e.g. engineering, mathematics, computer science, or related fields). They should have experience programming in Python and working with modern machine learning frameworks (e.g. PyTorch, TensorFlow), with a particular interest in

interpretable models, dynamical systems,

and the development of

LLM-based agents

for clinical reasoning. Experience working with healthcare or genomic datasets is desirable, and prior exposure to cancer research is considered an advantage.


Limit of tenure: 1 year, starting on 1 October or 1 November 2025.


This is a part-time position, offering 10 hours per week.



Please upload a full curriculum vitae and a description of your recent research (not to exceed three pages). The full contact details of two referees should be included; please note that we will assume that you are happy for us to approach your referees at any stage, unless you indicate otherwise in the space provided on the form.


Informal inquiries can be made by contacting Prof Mihaela van der Schaar at mv472@cam.ac.uk.


For queries relating to the application process, please email LE47109@maths.cam.ac.uk.


Interviews will be held on the week commencing 22 September 2025.


Please quote reference LE47109 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.


The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society. We particularly welcome applications from women and /or candidates from a BAME background for this vacancy as they are currently under-represented at this level in our Department.


The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

Key information

-------------------

Department/location

Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics

Salary

33,002-35,608 pro rata

Reference

LE47109

Category

Research

Date published

2 September 2025

Closing date

16 September 2025