"Promovendus CARAI - Care for AI Readiness Acquiring Insights"

Welcome to Maastricht University! We are seeking a candidate interested in scientific research in close collaboration with daily care and education, particularly in data and AI in healthcare.

Our Goal: Support care and welfare organizations in responsibly applying data and artificial intelligence (AI).

Your Colleagues: You will collaborate with colleagues at the Academic Workplace for Elderly Care Limburg and the Academic Workplace for Sustainable Care Limburg (Maastricht University & MUMC+).

The Learning Community Care for AI Readiness Acquiring Insights (CARAI) aims to support care and welfare organizations in southern Netherlands in responsibly learning to apply data and AI. This project connects students (mbo, hbo, wo), care workers, teachers, researchers, and service providers around realistic use cases from daily care practice. It focuses on a joint learning process around AI, ethics, data infrastructure, and user-centered innovation.

In the project, nine use cases will be executed, resulting in broad AI knowledge development among approximately 800 care professionals and 400 students.

The proposed Learning Community addresses the following AI learning issues:

• Data Readiness: How can care organizations make data FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) and use it safely and meaningfully for AI applications?
• ELSA-AI Principles: How can ethical, legal, and social aspects (ELSA) be integrated into the development and implementation of AI in healthcare?
• AI Foundation: Which general AI algorithms are relevant for healthcare and how can care professionals understand and apply them?
• AI Applications: Which specific AI applications are suitable for healthcare and what are their advantages and disadvantages?
• User-Centered AI: How can human-centered AI solutions be designed and implemented that meet the needs of patients and care professionals?

What You Will Do:

• Set up and conduct scientific research within a PhD trajectory.
• Maintain contacts with various parties in data and AI: care professionals, data/ICT specialists, teachers, and scientists.
• Conduct (action) research within collaborating (care) organizations, such as in long-term elderly care, MUMC+, or Hogeschool Zuyd and Gilde and/or Vista College.
• Analyze data, both quantitatively and qualitatively.
• Write and publish scientific articles.
• Give presentations (in both Dutch and English).

What You Bring:

• A completed master's degree in health sciences, nursing science, epidemiology, psychology, or a similar field.
• Demonstrate perseverance and initiative – you can work independently and reflect critically.
• Strong communication skills and organizational abilities to coordinate projects in multidisciplinary teams.
• Knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research methods and experience with scientific writing.
• Proficiency in Dutch and English, both orally and in writing.
• Affinity with healthcare, for example through study, work, or research.
• Affinity with data, data science, and programming (e.g., Python, R) is recommended.

What UM Offers: As a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, you will work at the most international university in the Netherlands in beautiful Maastricht. We offer good employment conditions, including a salary between €3059 and €3881 gross per month (based on a full-time position of 38 hours per week), an 8.0% holiday allowance, and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus. The employment contract is for 12 months (1.0 FTE), with extension possible for 3 years upon positive evaluation. We provide flexible working hours, the option to work partially from home, 29 vacation days plus 4 additional holidays, and opportunities for personal development.