Location: Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
Supervisors: Prof. Toni Mancini (external link)
Duration: 3 years (with possibility of extension)
Start date: August 2026 at latest
Project Description
This PhD project is embedded in Work Package 3: Trustworthy Data and Models of the EU Horizon ENDOTRAIN doctoral training network. The recipient of this PhD position will carry out research activity at the Department of Computer science of Sapienza University of Rome, Italy (with secondments at University of Bergen, Norway and University of Ulm, Germany, see below).
The envisioned research is aimed at developing novel Artificial Intelligence–based methods and software to assist physicians with:
- Disease classification
- Treatment decision support
- What-if analyses.
Although the developed methods and software will be general-purpose, a special emphasis will be put on the clinical domains of interest for the ENDOTRAIN network (endocrinology, with main focus on adrenal diseases).
The envisioned activities will be oriented at developing hybrid data-driven/model-based AI methods to analyse time series of clinical data coming from sensors, enriched by the possible trajectories of relevant human patho-physiology models of interest for:
- Phenotype classification
- Estimation of the probability of developing diseases
- Anomaly detection
- Early diagnosis.
The recipient will learn and apply a vast portfolio of complementary and synergic methods at the intersection of Artificial intelligence, Machine learning, Numerical simulation, Formal verification. Such methods include, among the others:
- AI-guided simulation of the mathematical models of the patho-physiology and PK/PD of the pharmaceutical compounds of interest
- AI-based black-box optimisation
- AI-based synthesis of virtual twins of adrenal patients to simulate treatment outcomes
- Synthetic data generation (virtual patients)
- Statistical model checking to ensure statistical correctness of the results
- Machine learning–based classification and regression methods
The candidate will also design and develop new software and prototype models.
Research areas:
Computer science, Simulation-based automated synthesis and verification of human physiology models, Artificial intelligence, Machine learning
Secondments:
The candidate is expected to spend time at some of institutions partners of the ENDOTRAIN network, among which:
- Computational Biology Unit, Department of Informatics, University of Bergen, Norway (under the co-supervision of Prof. Susanna Röblitz), to analyse pathophysiological models developed there
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Ulm, Germany (under the co-supervision of Prof. Walter Karlen), to develop interfaces for clinical data acquisition and personalised disease classification tools.
Host Institution
The Research lab in Artificial Intelligence for Systems Engineering (RAISE, https://raise.uniroma1.it) develops methods and software based on AI and digital twins for simulation-based verification, validation, and synthesis of mission- and safety-critical intelligent systems.
Our general-purpose software tools are employed in areas as diverse as aerospace, critical infrastructures, transportation, medicine and smart grids.
Our methods and software have been exploited in research projects in Digital, Industry and Space; Health; Climate, Energy and Mobility; Civil Security for Society; Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment.
Doctoral Programme
The candidate should work full-time on the project and must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Italy for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment date.
The recipient will be enrolled in the PhD programme in Computer Science at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy: https://www.uniroma1.it/en/offerta-formativa/dottorato/2025/computer-science
Participation in the interdisciplinary training of the ENDOTRAIN network is mandatory, including workshops, retreats, transferable skills courses, and cohort-wide meetings across Europe.
Qualifications
- Master’s degree (or equivalent) in computer science or a related field
- Command in software design and development in high-level programming languages
- Knowledge in model-basedas well as data-driven artificial intelligence (symbolic AI and machine learning)
- Fluency in the English language, both written and spoken
- Strong interest in interdisciplinary research
- Good communication skills
Salary and Benefits
The position is an excellent opportunity for international networking at a pan-European level, industry exposure, and career development.
The successful candidate will receive an attractive salary in accordance with the MSCA regulations for Doctoral Candidate DCs. The gross salary includes a living allowance (€ 3821.53 per month), a mobility allowance of € 710 per month and, if applicable, a family allowance of € 660 per month. These amounts are nominal (gross) amounts and certain deductions will apply for social security contributions and/or taxes according to the applicable Italian national laws. The exact (net) salary will be confirmed upon appointment and is dependent on local tax regulations.
Application Instructions
Applications will only be accepted through the Jobbnorge portal.
Applications without the mandatory attachments (application, CV, mobility declaration, motivation templates) will not be considered.
More details can be found at https://raise.uniroma1.it/work-with-us/endotrain/
Informal inquiries may be directed to Toni Mancini: tmancini@di.uniroma1.it