The world is changing at an ever-faster pace. At the Johannes Kepler University Linz, we work on technologies and the ideas of tomorrow on a daily basis. At the same time, we educate over 27,000 young people to meet the demands of today’s job market. In short, we are Upper Austria’s largest institution for education and research. Are you interested in being a part of shaping the future of Austria’s most attractive campus university? We currently have a job opening for a:
Graduate Teaching Assistant (must hold a Diploma/Master's degree) for a full-time, four-year position
Organizational unit::
Klinisches Forschungsinstitut für Neurowissenschaften
Entry date::
as soon as possible
Job Reference Number::
64030-2026-001964
:
The Faculty of Medicine at Johannes Kepler University Linz is making a strong commitment to advancing basic research, and six Young Research Groups have been established as part of a targeted initiative.
The Clinical Research Institute for Neuroscience (KFI Neuroscience) is seeking a motivated and talented doctoral student to develop and validate a novel framework for adaptive, data-driven MRI scanning in clinical neuroimaging, who will contribute to the establishment of the Young Research Group. This project addresses a fundamental inefficiency in current MRI practice: the entire brain is imaged using the same protocol, regardless of where the pathology is located. Inspired by approaches in adaptive microscopy, this doctoral thesis aims to develop a pipeline that automatically analyzes a standard scan to identify relevant areas (such as white matter lesions), which then trigger targeted, disease-specific imaging that focuses specifically on these areas. This work will have a direct impact on the efficiency of clinical MRI, lesion monitoring, and precise neuroimaging, which is relevant to a wide range of neurological disorders, including neuroinflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
We are offering a 4-year Ph.D. position with access to an extensive clinical imaging database containing data on stroke, epilepsy, MS, neurodegenerative diseases, and brain tumors, with the opportunity for joint supervision by experts in the fields of neuroimaging and medical data science/software development.
The Clinical Research Institute for Neuroscience (KFI Neuroscience) is seeking a motivated and talented doctoral student to develop and validate a novel framework for adaptive, data-driven MRI scanning in clinical neuroimaging, who will contribute to the establishment of the Young Research Group. This project addresses a fundamental inefficiency in current MRI practice: the entire brain is imaged using the same protocol, regardless of where the pathology is located. Inspired by approaches in adaptive microscopy, this doctoral thesis aims to develop a pipeline that automatically analyzes a standard scan to identify relevant areas (such as white matter lesions), which then trigger targeted, disease-specific imaging that focuses specifically on these areas. This work will have a direct impact on the efficiency of clinical MRI, lesion monitoring, and precise neuroimaging, which is relevant to a wide range of neurological disorders, including neuroinflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
We are offering a 4-year Ph.D. position with access to an extensive clinical imaging database containing data on stroke, epilepsy, MS, neurodegenerative diseases, and brain tumors, with the opportunity for joint supervision by experts in the fields of neuroimaging and medical data science/software development.
Job Duties::
- Design and implement automated detection models (deep learning and/or classical) for ROI identification from lower resolution or degraded MRI data
- Develop simulation frameworks to generate realistic low-resolution or motion-corrupted inputs from existing high-quality retrospective datasets
- Validate detection performance against expert clinical annotations and established lesion segmentation tools
- Build robust co-registration and spatial correspondence tools to link standard scan ROI coordinates to subsequent acquisition planning
- Implement and validate targeted acquisition protocols in collaboration with MR physicists and clinical staff
- Design and conduct prospective pilot acquisitions to validate the adaptive framework in real scan sessions
- Collaborate with clinical partners (neurology, neuroradiology, neurosurgery) to ensure clinical relevance and feasibility
- Publish findings in high-impact peer-reviewed journals in neuroimaging, medical image analysis, and clinical neuroscience
- Present work at national and international conferences
- Involvement in teaching and student supervision
Your Qualifications::
- Diplom`s or Master's degree in biomedical engineering, computer science, physics, electrical engineering, or a closely related discipline
- Strong programming skills, with proficiency in Python; experience with scientific computing libraries (NumPy, PyTorch or TensorFlow, scikit-learn, nibabel or similar)
- Knowledge of MRI acquisition principles (k-space, pulse sequences, image reconstruction)
- Prior experience with MRI data analysis or medical image processing
- Familiarity with deep learning for image segmentation or detection tasks
- Excellent written and spoken English skills (C1 level); ability to clearly communicate technical content to both technical and clinical audiences
- Good knowledge of German (B1 level) or a willingness to learn
- Genuine curiosity about clinical and biological questions – not just the technical challen
What We Offer::
- On the basis of full-time employment (40 hours/week) the minimum salary in accordance with the collective agreement is € 3,776.10 gross per month (14 x per year, CA Job Grade: B1)
- Stable employer
- Attractive campus environment with good public transportation connections
- Attractive continual educational opportunities
- State-of-the-art research infrastructure
- Dynamic research environment
- Exercise and sports classes (USI)
- …and much more
Application due date::
06/24/2026
:
The Johannes Kepler University wishes to increase the proportion of academic female faculty and, for this reason, especially welcomes applications by qualified women. If applicants are equally qualified, a woman will be given preference for this position. The university welcomes applications from qualified applicants with disabilities. These applications will be given special consideration.
Space for your future? We look forward to receiving your application via our job portal. For further information, please contact: Univ. Prof. Dr. Andreas Gruber, MBA, E-mail: andreas.gruber_1@kepleruniklinikum.at.
Space for your future? We look forward to receiving your application via our job portal. For further information, please contact: Univ. Prof. Dr. Andreas Gruber, MBA, E-mail: andreas.gruber_1@kepleruniklinikum.at.
Location::
Wagner-Jauregg-Weg
15,
4020
Linz