Postdoctoral position in Barcelona on AI in Medical Imaging - AFRICAI-RI

Universitat de Barcelona; España; Remote; EUR 36,000 - 44,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working hours

Telework option

International research environment

Job summary

The University of Barcelona invites applications for an exciting postdoctoral position in the Artificial Intelligence in Medicine Lab. You will contribute to new trustworthy AI solutions for multimodal medical imaging to support diagnosis and clinical decision-making in respiratory diseases, including tuberculosis and pneumonia.

The role offers flexible hours and potential telework, with a gross yearly salary of 40,000 €, and the contract duration is up to four years with possibility of

Qualifications

• Weak background in ML/DL for biomedical imaging is not acceptable.
• Experience in medical image analysis including classification, segmentation, or anomaly detection.
• Experience with heterogeneous biomedical datasets and clinical data.
• Strong data preprocessing, harmonisation, and model validation skills.
• Proficiency in Python and ML/data science frameworks; English fluency required.

Responsibilities

• Develop and evaluate AI models for biomedical imaging.
• Work with heterogeneous imaging datasets and clinical data.
• Publish results in journals and conferences; contribute to open science.
• Collaborate with international partners and supervise project activities.

Skills

Machine learning

Deep learning

Python

Medical imaging

Data preprocessing

Model validation

Federated learning

Explainable AI

English proficiency

Education

PhD in Computer Science / AI

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Scikit-learn

Job description

Organisation/Company Universitat de Barcelona Department OPIR Research Field Computer science Other Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Positions Postdoc Positions Application Deadline 30 Oct 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Madrid) Country Spain Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 37,5 Offer Starting Date 1 Dec 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe Reference Number Nº GA 101190731 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

We are offering an exciting postdoctoral position at the University of Barcelona, within theArtificial Intelligence in Medicine lab,new trustworthy AI solutions for for multimodal medical imaging to support diagnosis and clinical decision-making in respiratory diseases, including tuberculosis and pneumonia.

Concretely, we offer:

• A research position in beautiful Barcelona and its Mediterranean climate.
• Research experience within a prestigious university (1st position in Spain).
• Cutting-edge research in AI for healthcare in one of the most dynamic research groups in Europe (12 active projects including an ERC grant).
• An international research environment by joining a multi-cultural team representing all continents.
• Opportunities to collaborate with international and inter-disciplinary collaborators as part of the European projects.
• Support in career development ( e.g. grant applications, supervision of PhD students).
• Travelling opportunities to scientific events, project meetings and international stays.
• Freedom to independently conduct research and contribute with own ideas.
• Flexible working hours, with possibility to telework.
• Competitive salary equivalent to Assistant or Associate Professor at the University of Barcelona, depending on experience.
• Contract duration until the end of the projects (minimum four years), with the possibility to extend the contract as part of other grants within the lab.

The requirements for the position are:

• Strong background in machine learning and deep learning, with experience in developing and evaluating AI models for biomedical imaging and/or healthcare applications.
• Experience in medical image analysis, including tasks such as image classification, segmentation, anomaly detection, or predictive modelling.
• Experience working with heterogeneous biomedical datasets, including medical imaging (e.g. X-ray, ultrasound, MRI) and associated clinical data.
• Good understanding of data preprocessing, harmonisation, model validation, and challenges associated with multi-centre datasets.
• Proficiency in Python and relevant machine learning and data science frameworks (e.g. PyTorch, TensorFlow, Scikit-learn).
• Familiarity with trustworthy AI principles, including model robustness, generalisability, fairness, and/or explainability, is desirable.
• Experience with federated learning, domain adaptation, or privacy-preserving AI approaches is considered an advantage.
• Scientific track record demonstrated through peer-reviewed publications in relevant journals and/or leading international conferences in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and medical imaging (e.g. MICCAI, CVPR, NeurIPS, ICML).
• Excellent written and spoken English, with the ability to communicate and present scientific results effectively.

Furthermore, knowledge in any of the following areas are desirable (but optional):

• Ability to work independently, take initiative, and drive research activities from conceptualisation through implementation, evaluation, and dissemination.
• Strong teamwork skills and willingness to actively participate in the scientific activities of the research group.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary and international partners, including clinical researchers, technical experts, and other stakeholders.
• Previous experience in research leadership, including coordinating research activities, international collaborations, and project deliverables, is desirable.
• Strong interest in developing robust, trustworthy, and clinically relevant AI solutions for medical imaging, particularly in diverse healthcare settings.
• Ability to contribute to the coordination of research activities, supervision of students, and dissemination of scientific results.
• Strong scientific communication, writing, and presentation skills, including the ability to represent the research group at project meetings and scientific events.
• Motivation to contribute to international collaborative research and the translation of AI technologies into real-world healthcare applications.

The research projects:

AFRICAI-RI is a ground-breaking initiative designed to substantially improve healthcare in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by establishing the region's first federated, multi-institutional imaging research infrastructure. The project will leverage European and African expertise to adapt successful data infrastructures and imaging solutions to diverse environments across SSA.

AFRICAI-RI will address the critical challenges posed by infectious diseases and the scarcity of medical imaging experts in the region. Furthermore, it will foster healthcare innovation by deploying federated learning technologies to enhanced access to large imaging data in a privacy-preserving, trusted fashion. Furthermore, the project will develop AI tools optimised for the diagnosis of tuberculosis and pneumonia in both adults and children, while ensuring their applicability across different imaging modalities such as X-ray and ultrasound.

AFRICAI-RI is also committed to building local capacity by enhancing expertise in AI and clinical research through extensive training and stakeholder engagement. Additionally, the project aims to drive academic and economic opportunities by promoting new models of IP management and AI certification specific to the needs of SSA. The consortium will work closely with both local and international public health organisations to develop ethical guidelines and policy frameworks that enable the sustainable integration of AI in imaging diagnostics across SSA. Ultimately, AFRICAI-RI aspires to create a lasting infrastructure that not only addresses immediate healthcare needs but also fosters ongoing innovation and collaboration within the African continent and beyond.

The group:

The successful candidate will join the Artificial Intelligence in Medicine Lab, which is an integral part of the University of Barcelona’s Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science. It is a young and dynamic research lab, highly active in international projects, and composed of >25 enthusiastic academics, researchers, students and research managers, with expertise in data science, machine/deep learning, biomedical informatics, trustworthy AI, and health-related applications. The research group has an established track record in coordination and participation in European and international projects (> 10 million Euros over the last 5 years) in biomedical data science and medical AI (EuCanImage, euCanSHare, EarlyCause, LongITools, HealthyCloud, RadioVal, DataTools4Heart, Youth-GEMs, HappyMums, AIMIX, AI4HF, YOUTHreach).

The institution:

The University of Barcelona (UB), founded in 1450, is one of the oldest universities in Spain. It comprises a student body of 84,370 and 4,548 research staff members. With 73 undergraduate programs, 273 graduate programs and 48 doctorate programs, UB is the largest university in Barcelona and Catalonia. The UB is ranked the first Spanish university according to several rankings (QS World University Rankings 2022, Shanghai Ranking 2022). It is particularly interested in fostering international relations and, for many years, has managed an average of 150 European projects per year. The University of Barcelona is part of the prestigious League of European Universities Research (LERU).

Gross salary per year: 40.000 €.

The application period is from 19 to 30 October 2026, both inclusive.

• Strong background in machine learning and deep learning, with experience in developing and evaluating AI models for biomedical imaging and/or healthcare applications.
• Experience in medical image analysis, including tasks such as image classification, segmentation, anomaly detection, or predictive modelling.
• Experience working with heterogeneous biomedical datasets, including medical imaging (e.g. X-ray, ultrasound, MRI) and associated clinical data.
• Good understanding of data preprocessing, harmonisation, model validation, and challenges associated with multi-centre datasets.
• Proficiency in Python and relevant machine learning and data science frameworks (e.g. PyTorch, TensorFlow, Scikit-learn).
• Familiarity with trustworthy AI principles, including model robustness, generalisability, fairness, and/or explainability, is desirable.
• Experience with federated learning, domain adaptation, or privacy-preserving AI approaches is considered an advantage.
• Scientific track record demonstrated through peer-reviewed publications in relevant journals and/or leading international conferences in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and medical imaging (e.g. MICCAI, CVPR, NeurIPS, ICML).
• Excellent written and spoken English, with the ability to communicate and present scientific results effectively.

Specific Requirements

• Ability to work independently, take initiative, and drive research activities from conceptualisation through implementation, evaluation, and dissemination.
• Strong teamwork skills and willingness to actively participate in the scientific activities of the research group.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary and international partners, including clinical researchers, technical experts, and other stakeholders.
• Previous experience in research leadership, including coordinating research activities, international collaborations, and project deliverables, is desirable.
• Strong interest in developing robust, trustworthy, and clinically relevant AI solutions for medical imaging, particularly in diverse healthcare settings.
• Ability to contribute to the coordination of research activities, supervision of students, and dissemination of scientific results.
• Strong scientific communication, writing, and presentation skills, including the ability to represent the research group at project meetings and scientific events.
• Motivation to contribute to international collaborative research and the translation of AI technologies into real-world healthcare applications.

Languages ENGLISH Level Excellent

Research Field Computer science Years of Research Experience 4 - 10

Additional Information

Eligibility criteria

• Adequacy of the CV (maximum 50)

Specialty doctorate (30), generic doctorate (20)

Letter of motivation (maximum 20)

Experience in the field (maximum 30).

Minimum score to pass the selection process: 60/100 points.

Selection process

An interview will be conducted if the evaluation committee deems it necessary.

Required documentation:

CV(include contact details of people from whom references or reports can be requested)

*Be in possession of the doctor's degree at the time of the formalization of the contract.

Additional comments

Duration of the contract of employment:12 months, renewable up to 31/08/2029.

The candidate proposed for hiring must accept the job offer within 3 working days from the date of notification of the selection.

Priority will be given to people with disabilities (Law 89/2015 of June 2, reserve of quota 2% in favour of people with disabilities in companies of 50 or more people).

Be aware that the starting date sets in this offer is an estimate date. The official starting date will depend on the bureaucratic time that will take the preparation of the labour contract and presentation of the necessary documents to be hired by the selected candidate.