Research Fellow

Contract type: 2 year fixed term role

About the role

This 2-year role is funded through an EPSRC Established Career Fellowship to Professor John Terry, the Director of the Centre for Systems Modelling and Quantitative Biomedicine (SMQB) at the University of Birmingham. The purpose of the role is to develop and apply mathematical models and computational algorithms to understand how perturbations to dynamic brain networks impact upon seizure likelihood. With an emphasis on the emerging field of digital twins for personalised health, the ultimate aim is to enable translation of this understanding into more accurate, diagnosis, prognosis and management of epilepsy. There is a particular interest in solutions that enable community-based care, in keeping with the priorities of the EPSRC/MRC-funded Network+ N-CODE.

Working collaboratively with Professor Terry, other postdocs and PhD students within the SMQB, clinicians and people will lived experience of epilepsy, projects will be shaped around the skills and experience of the successful candidate. Examples of possible projects include:

• How does electrical stimulation reduce seizure frequency? 
• Why does photic stimulation affect some people with epilepsy? 
• Can we predict the likelihood of seizure recurrence post epilepsy surgery? 

About us

The SMQB is a strategic research centre, based across the Colleges of Medicine & Health and Engineering and Physical Sciences, that combines interdisciplinary expertise across mathematics, computer science and medicine, using techniques from mathematical and statistical modelling, data science, machine learning and artificial intelligence. Currently comprising 4 Professors, 1 Associate Professor, 4 Assistant Professors, alongside several postdoctoral researchers and PhD students.

About you

As the successful candidate you will be educated to PhD level in mathematics, computer science, biomedical engineering or a closely related area. 

You will have experience in one or more of the following areas: (nonautonomous) dynamical systems, complex networks, bifurcation theory, numerical continuation, data analytics and signal processing.

You will be a proficient programmer, ideally with expertise in both Matlab and Python. Having relevant research experience applying mathematical or computational methods in biology or medicine will be advantageous to you. 

Curiosity led, with exceptional communication skills, you will thrive working in a highly interdisciplinary environment. You will be equally happy communicating with theoreticians, clinicians, industrialists and people with lived experience of epilepsy. Finally, you will possess a demonstrable ability to write up scientific findings for publication in a timely and succinct manner.

As the successful candidate, you will join a dynamic research environment and receive strong mentoring, training and support, contributing to writing grants and generating research awards.

The full job description is available on the University of Birmingham website (Apply now). Informal enquires to Professor John Terry j.r.terry@bham.ac.uk.

Interviews will take place in person in Birmingham on 22^nd January 2025, your travel costs can be covered.

Closes: 8^th January 2025