Frequently asked questions for applying for PhD positions in Causal AI in understanding medical images

Q. How many positions are being funded? Two. Canon Medical wants to partner with CHAI and as part of this partnership they will support two positions.

Q. Are they fully funded? Yes one for an international student and one for home / settled status fees student. All include stipend.

Q. I don’t have background in X should I apply? These positions will likely require a mix of mathematical understanding (for causal AI) , computational skills and some understanding of medical imaging. We don’t expect that every candidate will know everything, and they receive training. Of all these we have found mathematical understanding to be the hardest to endow if the candidate doesn’t have any prior exposure to maths.

Q. I am still uncertain if I have the right background. What should I do? We encourage you to apply.

Q. Do I need to write a research proposal? Yes. Add as title “Proposal for Causal AI in understanding medical images”” and include your understanding of causal AI and how it might help address issues in medical imaging. (Note that we are not looking for ideas here per se; we just want to see how you shape your thoughts.) Two pages will suffice.

Q. What do I write in the personal statement? Include the name of Prof. Tsaftaris in the statement, and discuss your motivation for doing a PhD, what attracts you for this phd position (including the group, the university, CHAI, and Canon Medical) and what your aspirations are for after the PhD.

Q. What do I write under funding? Add “Project funding by Prof. Tsaftaris and Canon Medical for CHAI”.

Q. I applied now what? Email your application number to prof Tsaftaris. Put email subject as “Applied for Causal AI in understanding medical images” And include in the main email body your application number. It will be a number that will have sxxxxxxx (the UUN) and it will be provided to you by the system as soon as you applied).

Q. When is the deadline to apply? We will begin reviewing applications as early as January 10 2025. We will be arranging interviews and keep the positions open until suitable candidates are found.

Q. I applied but I didn’t hear anything. If you haven’t heard anything 3 months after your application, it is likely that you haven’t been shortlisted. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide feedback to unsuccessful applicants.

Q. What will the interview entail? Applicants shortlisted will receive information about the interview 2 weeks ahead. Interviews will be online.

Q. When can I start my PhD? We are flexible but it shouldn’t be later than October 2025.