Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Machine Learning

University of British Columbia • Vancouver, BC

11d • CA$60,000 - CA$80,000 • Onsite

About The Position

The Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC) Vancouver campus, specifically the Department of Orthopaedics, is seeking a full-time Postdoctoral Research Fellow with expertise in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and data science. This position is part of the Walk Tall research team at BC Children’s Hospital and offers a high degree of independence under the guidance of Dr. Anthony Cooper and senior research staff. The role provides excellent opportunities for growth in clinical research. The expected salary range is $60,000 - $80,000 per annum. UBC is committed to fostering a diverse workforce and an inclusive and equitable work environment.

Requirements

• PhD (or equivalent) in Machine Learning, Computer Science/Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, or PhD or equivalent degree in population/public health and other related medical fields with AI and ML experience.
• Applicants must be within five years of being awarded their PhD degree. Exceptions will be considered where the research career has been interrupted by circumstances such as parental responsibilities or illness.
• A background in AI, machine learning, statistics, database design, software development, and medical sciences.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to facilitate both self-directed and guided research.
• Must demonstrate outstanding personal initiative and the ability to work effectively as part of a team.
• Demonstrated adaptability, strategic planning skills, and ability to spark innovation.
• Ability to work effectively and multi-task in a fast-paced and multi-disciplinary environment.
• Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own.
• Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• Must reside in British Columbia for the term of the appointment.

Nice To Haves

• Demonstrable experience in AI and Machine Learning, managing and analyzing large datasets, is a major asset.
• Experience with software requirements analysis, software design and development, and integration of software and ML models is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop, validate, and deploy ML models to improve clinical decision-making for diagnosis and treatment, radiograph analysis, and patient outcomes in musculoskeletal care.
• Develop ML projects to deal with multi-model datasets (text, images, structured, and voice data).
• Work with an international group of orthopaedic surgeons, allied healthcare professionals, and researchers to collect variables/features for ML models.
• Annotate required datasets and design ML model pipelines.
• Evaluate results and apply models in a clinical environment.
• Design and implement ML, deep learning, and Large Language Models for orthopaedic applications.
• Work with multimodal clinical data, including medical imaging (X-ray, CT, MRI), electronic health records (HER), and textual and voice data.
• Apply supervised, unsupervised, and self-supervised learning methods.
• Develop explainable AI (XAI) approaches suitable for clinical use.
• Work with the data management team, clinical and research teams to build, train, evaluate, and deploy ML projects.
• Present findings on a regular basis to team members.
• Participate in other ongoing research projects as required.
• Produce conference abstracts and manuscripts.
• Provide support with future research proposals for new funding opportunities.
• Maintain accountability for the quality and integrity of the research and data, as well as the effective and efficient management of research projects and deliverables.
• May supervise undergraduate students working on the AI/ML projects.

Benefits

• Equitable and competitive salaries, commensurate with the qualifications and experience of the candidate.
• Excellent opportunities for growth in the field of clinical research.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree