PhD – Explainable Artificial Intelligence and Drug Repositioning -------------- The Distributed Artificial Intelligence and Knowledge laboratory (CIAD LAB – UMR 7533) at the University of Bourgogne Franche-Comté has a vacancy for a Ph.D. fellowship. About the position -------------- Biological networks are very effective tools for modeling, analyzing and discovering new biological interactions in complex biological systems. In recent years, network models and algorithms have been used to for the development of precision medicine for many diseases. The mathematical machinery at the heart of this research field is based on graph theory, a widely studied disciplinary field. This is also associated with machine learning on structured data in the form of graphs. A big challenge is to create better modelling tools to integrate human expertise and artificial intelligence techniques to exploit big data in healthcare, and to formulate hypotheses on how human organisms act in matters health and illness. To meet this challenge, many emerging works propose the design of explainable AIs, allowing the rapid design of profiled drugs. These explainable AIs combine connectionist AI approaches such as deep learning, neural networks, etc. and causal AIs based on modelling causal graphs of knowledge derived from the knowledge of business experts. This research will address questions such as: • How to aggregate data sources from heterogeneous medical databases while maintaining the consistency of the associated knowledge? • What are the best functions for analysing raw data to extract knowledge?? • How to develop in silico prediction of new therapeutic targets which will then be tested in vitro and / or in vivo? Required selection criteria -------------- The qualification requirement is that you have completed a master’s degree with a strong academic background in one or more of: computer science and engineering, mathematics or equivalent education with a grade of first third of the promotion. The candidate must have background in computer science with ideally skills in machine learning and/or knowledge engineering. Knowledge in the field of biology will be appreciated. Applicants must provide evidence of good English language skills, written and spoken. Mastery of the French language will be appreciated. Preferred selection criteria • Background in Artificial Intelligence and/or Data Mining/DataScience. • A candidate with some industrial experience in aforementioned areas will get preference. • Publication activities in the aforementioned disciplines will be considered an advantage. Salary and conditions -------------- PhD candidates are remunerated by the company. The amount of the salary can me negotiated with the company. The appointment is for a term of 3 years and can be extend beyond the Phd defense. Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme in computer science and that you participate in an organized PhD programme during the employment period. About the application -------------- This research is fund by the French government and the OncoDesign company (https://www.oncodesign.com/en/). This company and the CIAD laboratory have initiated a scientific collaboration in the field of specialized medicine. This collaboration concerns the identification of new therapeutic targets and the acceleration of the development phases of research and the development of new molecules. The job will be located at Dijon, a gastronomic and touristic french city at 1.5 hours from Paris by train. The CIAD Lab and the company are 500 meters distance. Application deadline: 31.07.2020 -------------- If you have any questions about the position, please contact: Christophe Nicolle email: cnicolle@u-bourgogne.fr