PhD candidate ‘Deepfakes’ in radiology? Synthetic imaging data for medical AI regulation

Job description

Job description
Artificial intelligence is increasingly used in medical imaging, but the evidence required to demonstrate that these systems are safe and reliable is still evolving. Synthetic imaging data may help address limited access to representative clinical datasets, for example by augmenting training data or supporting model evaluation. However, it is currently unclear under which conditions synthetic data can be considered sufficiently representative, unbiased, privacy-preserving, and scientifically valid for (premarket) regulatory purposes.
In this PhD project, you will investigate when and how synthetic medical imaging data can be used as evidence in the development and regulatory evaluation of medical device AI. The project is part of COMPASS4MD, a Horizon Europe consortium developing new methodologies for evaluating clinical evidence for medical devices.
Your work will combine technical evaluation of synthetic imaging data with regulatory science and research methodology. You will study how synthetic imaging data are currently used in research and regulatory submissions, experimentally assess their quality and fitness for different purposes, and translate these findings into evidence requirements for regulatory use.
You will work on questions such as:

• How representative are synthetic images compared with real clinical data?
• Which metrics are meaningful for assessing fidelity and clinical validity?
• How do privacy protection, bias and representativeness interact?
• When can synthetic data appropriately be used for training augmentation, and when might they be suitable for external validation?
• How should evidence requirements differ between detection, segmentation, classification and quantification tasks?
• What additional limitations arise for rare and ultra-rare diseases?

The technical work will include analysis of medical imaging datasets and evaluation of synthetic image generation methods. Depending on the specific research questions, this may include image quality and distributional analyses, evaluation of downstream AI performance, assessment of bias and representativeness, and privacy-related analyses. You will work closely with researchers at the University of Crete, who lead the technical characterisation of synthetic imaging within COMPASS4MD.
Alongside this technical work, you will conduct a structured review of the scientific and regulatory landscape, interview stakeholders including regulators, notified bodies and AI developers, and contribute to a multi-round Delphi study. The final aim is to develop minimum evidence standards for the use of synthetic imaging data in regulatory submissions for diagnostic medical AI. These standards will distinguish between different functions of synthetic data, AI task types and disease prevalence.
You will be based at Radboudumc and jointly supervised by Dr Merel Huisman and Dr Michail Klontzas at the University of Crete. The project therefore offers the opportunity to work at the intersection of medical imaging AI, methodology and European regulatory science within an international consortium.

Requirements

Profile
The ideal candidate is an intellectually independent, intrinsically motivated researcher with a strong interest in connecting medical imaging AI, research methodology, and regulatory science. You can critically evaluate technical methods and translate findings into meaningful evidence requirements. You are resourceful and proactive, take ownership of your work, and can organise complex research activities independently within a multidisciplinary and international environment. Familiarity with the European medical-device regulatory framework, particularly the MDR and AI Act, is an advantage.
Education
You have an MSc degree in Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering, Technical Medicine, Medical Image Analysis, Medical Informatics, or a closely related discipline. Candidates with a background in health law or technology regulation are also welcome, provided they demonstrate experience with empirical research and a strong aptitude for quantitative and technical methods.
Experience & competencies

• Experience with Python and machine learning, preferably applied to medical imaging or computer vision.
• A critical understanding of AI model development and evaluation, including the capabilities and limitations of generative AI and synthetic data.
• Experience with image analysis, synthetic image generation, downstream model evaluation, bias assessment, or privacy-preserving machine learning is an advantage.
• An understanding of research methodology and statistics, with an interest in evaluating data quality, representativeness, and clinical validity.
• An interest in medical-device regulation and how technical findings inform clinical evidence and regulatory decision-making. Prior regulatory expertise is not required.
• The ability to combine technical research with structured literature reviews and stakeholder research, including interviews and consensus methods.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to communicate with technical, clinical, and regulatory stakeholders.
• Scientific writing and presentation skills.
• Working proficiency in English (C1–C2).

Conditions of employment

Well arranged
With us, you receive 8% holiday allowance, an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and – depending on your role – an irregular hours allowance ranging from 47% to 72%. In addition, you are entitled to 176 vacation hours per year (based on a 36-hour work week).
Compensation
You will receive a €0.18 per kilometer travel allowance. Public transport costs (2nd class) are fully reimbursed. If you work partly or entirely from home, you will receive €2.40 per home-working day. This way, everything is well arranged—wherever you work.
Flexible benefits scheme
With our flexible benefits scheme, you decide how to use part of your employment benefits. Purchase extra leave days or use your year-end bonus to buy a bicycle with tax benefits. You choose what suits you best.
Warm welcome
We believe a good start is important. Thanks to our onboarding app, you’ll be well prepared even before your first working day. During the introduction day, you’ll get to know your colleagues and our organization.
Changing allowance
If you are required to wear Radboudumc work clothing and change outside working hours, you will receive a changing allowance of €80 gross per month for a full-time position, provided this applies to your role.
Salary increase
At our organization, your work is valued. Your salary will increase in line with the collective labor agreement in two steps: by 3.5% as of July 1, 2026, and an additional 3.5% as of May 1, 2027. This means you’ll see a solid increase in your salary within a short period of time.
Work–life balance
We consider a healthy work–life balance essential. Through inspiring training sessions, mindfulness activities, and caregiver consultation hours, we support you in every phase of your life.
Growth and development
Our online learning environment offers a wide range of training courses, e-learnings, and educational programs—from professional specialization to personal development. This allows you to keep growing and make the most of your talents.

Employer

Welcome to Radboud university medical center (Radboudumc), where our research groups strive for innovative solutions that make impact on health and healthcare. We challenge the status quo to overcome current and future health challenges. Our goal is to shape the future of healthcare for generations to come. Our focus is on prevention, sustainability, and meaningful care, which we achieve through our in-depth understanding of disease mechanisms, clinical science, public health research, medical technology and data science. Our approach is centered on breakthroughs that can truly enhance personalized healthcare and public health.
At Radboudumc, a comprehensive range of research programs provide the compass for our research efforts. Each program has a clear goal, where collaboration within and outside our organization is highly valued. We integrate care, education and research in partnership with our patients to ensure that our research programs have significant impact on health and healthcare. We invite you to join us in our mission to create a healthy future for all.

Additional information

• Preferred start date: 1 February 2027
• This is a 4-year PhD position within the COMPASS4MD Horizon Europe consortium.
• You will be based at Radboudumc and jointly supervised by Dr Merel Huisman and Dr Michail Klontzas at the University of Crete.
• This position requires a Certificate of Conduct (VOG).

We are recruiting for this position ourselves. Unsolicited marketing is not appreciated, but do feel free to share the vacancy in your network!
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Merel Huisman
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