Postdoctoral Researcher

University Health Network

  • Toronto, ON
  • Contract
  • Full-time
  • 16 days ago
Company DescriptionUHN is Canada's No. 1 hospital and the world's No. 1 publicly funded hospital. With 10 sites and more than 44,000 TeamUHN members. UHN consists of Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, The Michener Institute of Education and West Park Healthcare Centre. As Canada's top research hospital, the scope of biomedical research and complexity of cases at UHN have made it a national and international source for discovery, education and patient care. UHN has the largest hospital-based research program in Canada, with major research in neurosciences, cardiology, transplantation, oncology, surgical innovation, infectious diseases, genomic medicine and rehabilitation medicine. UHN is a research hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto.UHN's vision is to build A Healthier World and its only because of the talented and dedicated people who work here that we are continually bringing that vision closer to reality.Job DescriptionUnion: Non-Union
Number of Vacancies: 1
Site: Toronto General Hospital
Department: Joint Department of Medical Imaging, Schroeder Arthritis Institute
Reports to: Principal Investigator
Hours: 35 hours per week
Shifts: Monday-Friday, Day Shifts
Status: Temporary Full-time
Closing Date: September 12, 2025Position Summary:
We seek Post-Doctoral Researcher applications for projects related to the discovery of medical image features capable of predicting musculoskeletal disease outcomes. The projects will be heavily focused on epidemiology/medical image analysis, with integration of biostatistics, data science, and machine learning methods. The candidate will combine traditional epidemiology with machine learning to guide causal inference and the development of intellectually-informed predictive models.University Health Network (UHN) is seeking an outstanding, motivated professional to fill the key role of Postdoctoral Fellow within the Joint Department of Medical Imaging in conjunction with the University of Toronto's Dalla School of Public Health, as part of a cross-disciplinary research program.This conditional grant-funded postdoctoral fellowship will focus on the discovery of osteoarthritis disease features within medical images and linking them to knee osteoarthritis symptoms using biostatistics. The projects will involve the analysis of existent images, or collection of new images from local studies using clinical populations.The Wong Musculoskeletal Imaging Lab is seeking a highly motivated, organized, and innovative individual with exceptional analytical and communication skills who thrives in a collaborative and multidisciplinary environment. The recruitment is part of the Canada Leads 100 Initiative, which is UHN's bold new strategy to recruit top scientists from around the world. The successful candidate will contribute to groundbreaking discoveries leading to the development of new subclasses of disease, tools to risk stratify patients, and to monitor disease progression.Duties:
  • Develop tools for the segmentation of musculoskeletal image features from MRI and CT scans using Python
  • Explore research questions linking these image features to patient outcomes using biostatistical or machine learning methods
  • Publish research findings in a variety of journals
  • Present research at local and international conferences
  • Participate in grant writing and project planning
  • Co-supervise graduate and undergraduate students
  • Lead (integrated) knowledge translation / dissemination activities with patient partners
QualificationsRequired Qualifications:
  • Minimum PhD in engineering, epidemiology, (bio)statistics, information science, computational biology, or computer science
  • At least 3+ years of experience coding in one or more of: Python / R / SAS is necessary.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
  • Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team.
  • Self-motivated, detail-oriented, and results-driven.
  • We encourage PhD applicants with a set thesis defense date, and interested in exploring this intersection space to apply. Any offers would be conditional on being conferred a PhD prior to the position start date.
Preferred Qualifications:
  • Having a background in both computational methods (and similar health-related focus) and data science/biostats/epidemiological methods would be preferred.
  • Candidates experienced publishing articles, as a primary author, on studies with focus on a clinical topic would receive higher priority.
  • Submit a copy of your top 3 most relevant papers in PDF format.
  • Hands-on experience using machine learning tools such as scikit-learn as well as developing custom machine learning models in PyTorch/JAX/Tensorflow in high performance computing environments is also an asset.
Additional InformationWhy join UHN?In addition to working alongside some of the most talented and inspiring healthcare professionals in the world, UHN offers a wide range of benefits, programs and perks. It is the comprehensiveness of these offerings that makes it a differentiating factor, allowing you to find value where it matters most to you, now and throughout your career at UHN.
  • Competitive offer packages
  • Government organization and a member of the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP
) * Close access to Transit and UHN shuttle service
  • A flexible work environment
  • Opportunities for development and promotions within a large organization
  • Additional perks (multiple corporate discounts including: travel, restaurants, parking, phone plans, auto insurance discounts, on-site gyms, etc.)
Current UHN employees must have successfully completed their probationary period, have a good employee record along with satisfactory attendance in accordance with UHN's attendance management program, to be eligible for consideration.All applications must be submitted before the posting close date.UHN uses email to communicate with selected candidates. Please ensure you check your email regularly.Please be advised that a Criminal Record Check may be required of the successful candidate. Should it be determined that any information provided by a candidate be misleading, inaccurate or incorrect, UHN reserves the right to discontinue with the consideration of their application.UHN is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive recruitment process and workplace. Requests for accommodation can be made at any stage of the recruitment process. Applicants need to make their requirements known.We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.

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