PhD student position in Optimization of Patient Flows for Hospitals

PhD student position in Optimization of Patient Flows for Hospitals
Join us to improve the future of healthcare by developing AI-based scheduling and planning tools for optimizing the patient flows in hospitals. During your five years of PhD studies, you will together with a group of researchers at Chalmers and Sahlgrenska University Hospital develop tools and algorithms that support the healthcare staff and their patients with planning, scheduling, monitoring, and prioritizing.

Project description
The PhD student position is with the research group in Automation at the Division of Systems and Control, within the Department of Electrical Engineering. The research group focus on development of tools, algorithms and methods for analysing, monitoring and controlling complex systems. The group has been working for a long time with IT and AI support for planning, coordination and control of healthcare and industrial processes. They have developed an open-source tool called Sequence planner that has been used at an emergency department for analyzing, controlling and monitoring of complex and evolving patient flows at a hospital in real time. The phd student will extend this work by developing AI-based scheduling and planning tools and algorithms for supporting the healthcare staff with for example patient prioritization, prediction and monitoring, planning, operation scheduling, online prioritization, and resource allocation, as well as staff scheduling. The student will initially work in a project with the goal to improve the information overview for clinical decisions and patient flows and deliver predictive and proactive decision support for psychiatric emergency care, but will also initally work with operation and staff optimization.

Major responsibilities
Your main responsibility as a PhD student is to pursue your own scientific studies and to develop your abilities and knowledge within the research fields covered by the project. You are expected to develop your scientific concepts and communicate the results of your research verbally at scientific conferences and in written journal articles. But you will also work together in a team of researchers where you together will iterate and develop new and innovative research results. The position also includes certain departmental duties, typically in form of teaching, corresponding to about 20% of working hours.

Contract terms
Full-time temporary employment. The position is limited to a maximum of five years.

Qualifications
By the starting date, the applicant should have a master's level degree corresponding to at least 240 higher education credits or equivalent in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Applied Math or in a related discipline. A successful applicant should have a strong background in optimization, artificial intelligence, and/or algorithms and logics. A genuine interest and curiosity in the subject, excellent oral and written English communication skills are needed.

Chalmers continuously strives to be an attractive employer. Equality and diversity are substantial foundations in all activities at Chalmers.

Our offer to you
Chalmers offers a cultivating and inspiring working environment in the dynamic city of Gothenburg. 
Read more about working at Chalmers and our benefits for employees.

Application procedure
The application should be marked with Ref 20210231 and written in English. The application should be sent electronically and be attached as pdf-files, as below:

CV: (Please name the document: CV, Family name, Ref. number)
• CV
• Other, for example previous employments or leadership qualifications and positions of trust.
• Two references that we can contact.

Personal letter: (Please name the document as: Personal letter, Family name, Ref. number)
1-3 pages where you:
• Introduce yourself
• Describe your previous experience of relevance for the position (e.g. education, thesis work and, if applicable, any other research activities)
• Describe your future goals and future research focus

Other documents:
• Copies of bachelor and/or master’s thesis.
• Attested copies and transcripts of completed education, grades and other certificates, e.g. TOEFL test results.

The files may be compressed (zipped).

Application deadline: 11 June, 2021

For questions, please contact:
Dr. Kristofer Bengtsson
kristofer.bengtsson@chalmers.se