PhD Student - Acceptance of radiological AI technology in a clinical setting

Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam invites applications for a four-year PhD position at the department of Health Services Management & Organisation.

Job description
We are recruiting a PhD candidate to investigate the acceptance of radiological artificial intelligence (AI) in a clinical setting. Striving for co-creating meaningful devices and AI tools that are accepted, trusted, adopted, and implemented, we need a better understanding of the factors and actors influencing the acceptance and uptake of these technologies. Therefore, our aim is to develop a framework to understand the relevant factors (e.g. trustworthy AI principles, transparency, explainability, professional autonomy, governance etc.) and actors (healthcare professionals, patients, regulators etc.) influencing the acceptance of AI technologies. As a PhD candidate you will evaluate the interactions between users and diagnostic AI technology to gain insights into the users, their needs, and how it changes the decision-making process. You will analyze the interrelations between factors to identify leverage points to strengthen user acceptance. Finally, you will teach in the education programs of Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (about 15% of your time).

This PhD project is one of the five PhD positions in the Trustworthy AI for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Lab, which is one of the labs in the ROBUST program. ROBUST, a new initiative by the Innovation Center for Artificial Intelligence (ICAI), unites 17 knowledge institutions, 19 participating industry sponsors and 15 civil-social organisations from across the Netherlands. The programme aims to strengthen the Dutch AI ecosystem by boosting fundamental AI research. ROBUST focuses primarily on the development of trustworthy AI technology for the resolution of socially relevant issues, such as those in healthcare, logistics, media, food and energy.

The ICAI lab Trustworthy AI for Magnetic Resonance Imaging focuses on the development of novel AI assisted MRI acquisition and reconstruction methods, techniques to automatically analyse musculoskeletal and neurological MR images as well as the acceptance of AI methods in the clinical practice. The research will be conducted in collaboration with the Erasmus Medical Center and the industrial sponsor and collaborator GE healthcare. Strong collaborations with the other PhD students in the ICAI lab are envisioned.

You are expected to have a master's degree in the field of social science and humanities. Affinity for or experience within the healthcare field is required. The position requires advanced skills in quantitative and qualitative methods. Therefore, you need to have experience with both. You should be able to communicate and work with clinicians as well as researchers from various fields. Moreover, you have excellent English communication and writing skills.

We offer a full-time position as PhD student at Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR). The PhD candidate will be located at Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM). As part of the collaboration in this project research visits to GE healthcare (Munich, Germany) are envisioned.

We offer a 1.5-year position with the possibility of extension to 4 years based on performance. Remuneration will be according to the PhD scales set by the Collective Labor Agreement for Dutch Universities (cao NU) and will range from € 2.541 per month in the first year to € 3.247 per month in the fourth year (gross amounts, in case of fulltime employment). Fulltime is 38 hours per week.

In addition, EUR pays an 8% holiday allowance and an end-of-year payment of 8.3% and offers excellent secondary benefits, and a very generous leave scheme. Furthermore, EUR is affiliated with ABP for the pension provision, and we offer partially paid parental leave, fully paid extended birth leave for partners, a personal education budget, work-life balance coaches and more. Employees can also use EUR facilities, such as the Erasmus sports centre and the University library.

The starting date will be September 1, 2023, or sooner if possible.

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is an internationally oriented university with a strong social orientation in its education and research, as expressed in our mission 'Creating positive societal impact'. EUR is home to 3.700 academics and professionals and almost 33.000 students from more than 140 countries. Everything we do, we do under the credo The Erasmian Way - Making Minds Matter. We're global citizens, connecting, entrepreneurial, open-minded, and socially involved. These Erasmian Values function as our internal compass and create EUR's distinctive and recognizable profile. From these values, with a broad perspective and with an eye for diversity, different backgrounds and opinions, our employees work closely together to solve societal challenges from the dynamic and cosmopolitan city of Rotterdam. Thanks to the high quality and positive societal impact of our research and education, EUR can compete with the top European universities. www.eur.nl.

Faculty / Institute / Central service
Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management is part of Erasmus University Rotterdam and is responsible for a bachelor and three (international) master programs on healthcare management, policy, and economics, serving more than 1500 students. The most recent international research audit has assessed ESHPM's research as excellent (20 out of 20 points). ESHPM values empirical, multidisciplinary research with high impact. It is firmly rooted in the world's leading Dutch health care system and actively participates in international research projects, in particular EU funded projects. The position offered is within the Department of Health Services Management & Organization of ESHPM.

Health Services Management & Organisation is responsible for education and research on management and organisation in healthcare. Our aim is to improve the management and organisation of health services to provide the best value for patients/clients and professionals in healthcare. Research of HSMO covers the full width of the healthcare sector, managerial scientific domains, and methodologies (qualitative-, quantitative-, design-, and action research). To a large extent, our research is carried out on innovation of the primary process of care delivery, both within and across organizations. The teaching of the department is aligned with its research and is mainly organized around the MSc program in Healthcare Management, which is the largest program in this domain in Europe, and the BSc program in Health Sciences (Gezondheidswetenschappen, Beleid & Management Gezondheidszorg). Courses taught for instance address Organisational Behavior, Health technologies, Quality & Safety, Innovation, Integrated Care, Operations Management, and Financial Management. The staff of the department includes 4 Full professors, 3 Associate professors, 11 Assistant professors, and 21 PhD's.