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Project Description

PhD Subject: Computer Science

This project involves generative modeling to address deficiencies in mass spectrometric imaging (MSI) of brain tissue.

The deficiencies can occur along two dimensions: spatial (super-resolution) and functional (data imputation). Improving the quality of MSI could unlock vast amounts of spatially accurate chemical information, significantly enhancing our understanding of complex brain processes, particularly regarding the pathology of neurodegenerative diseases. The prospective PhD candidate will collect brain MSI data and develop new machine learning methods, particularly in relation to the latest generative models such as flow matching.

Therefore, the candidate is expected to be comfortable using and developing new machine learning models, specifically generative ones, and publishing results at leading machine learning venues. The project involves collecting and curating MSI data during the first year of the study as a new benchmark aimed at NeurIPS 2026, which will then be used as a testbed for the developed ML techniques in subsequent publications. The student will join KTH (https://www.csc.kth.se/~azizpour/). The position is in collaboration with the CBH school and Uppsala University. It is funded by SciLifeLab and the Wallenberg National Program for Data-Driven Life Science (DDLS), and the student will join its research program.

Another PhD position in generative modeling for biology can be found here (https://www.kth.se/lediga-jobb/899309?l=en).

Supervision

Hossein Azizpour is proposed to supervise the PhD candidate. Decisions will be made upon admission.

Eligibility for Admission

To be admitted to doctoral education (Chapter 7, Section 39 of the Higher Education Ordinance), the applicant must have basic eligibility:

• completed a master's degree, or
• completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 higher education credits at an advanced level, or
• acquired equivalent knowledge in some other way, within or outside the country.
• strong programming skills, especially experience in deep learning programming.
• previous education and research experience in machine learning.

In addition to the above, there is also a document (https://www.kth.se/studies/phd/entry-requirements-for-doctoral-studies-1.520175).

Selection

To succeed in your doctoral studies at KTH, you need to be goal-oriented and persistent in your work. In selecting applicants, the ability to:

• independently drive their work forward,
• collaborate with others,
• maintain a professional attitude, and
• analyze and work with complex issues.
• demonstrate research experience and education in both theory and practice of machine learning, particularly deep generative modeling,
• demonstrate research experience or education in life science data, particularly MSI data, and
• demonstrate previous experience with remote GPU and HPC services.

After the eligibility requirements, personal qualities will be given significant weight.

Target Degree: PhD

Information on Admission and Employment

Only those admitted to doctoral education may be employed as PhD candidates. The total employment period may not exceed what corresponds to full-time doctoral education for four years. An employed PhD candidate may, to a limited extent (maximum 20%), perform certain tasks within e.g., education and administration. A new employment as a PhD candidate is valid for a maximum of one year, after which the employment may be renewed for a maximum of two years at a time. For studies concluding with a licentiate degree, the total employment period may not exceed what corresponds to full-time doctoral education for two years.

As a PhD candidate, you will benefit from benefits (https://www.kth.se/om/jobba-pa-kth/kth-en-arbetsplats-med-manga-formaner-1.467932) and receive a monthly salary according to salary structure (https://intra.kth.se/anstallning/anstallningsvillkor/lon/doktorandstegen-1.572915). Read more about doctoral studies (https://www.kth.se/studies/phd/doctoral-studies-phd-1.9318).

Union Representatives

Contact information for union representatives (https://intra.kth.se/administration/rekrytering/annonsering/fackrepresentanter-1.500898).

Doctoral Section (Student Union of the Royal Institute of Technology) Contact information at dr.kth.se (https://www.dr.kth.se/).

Application

You apply via KTH's recruitment system. As an applicant, you have the primary responsibility for ensuring that your application is complete when submitted.

The application must be received by KTH no later than the last application day at midnight, CET/CEST (Central European Time/Central European Summer Time).

The application should include the following content:

• CV with relevant professional experiences and skills.
• Cover letter with a brief account of why you want to pursue doctoral studies, your academic interests, and how they relate to your previous studies and future goals. (Max 2 pages)
• Copies of diplomas and transcripts from previous university studies and certificates of fulfilled requirements (https://www.kth.se/en/studies/phd/admission-requirements-1.520175). Translations into English or Swedish if the original documents are not issued in one of these languages. Copies of originals should be verified (https://www.kth.se/student/studier/examen/vidimering-av-handlingar-1.55190).
• Representative publications or technical reports. For longer documents, please attach a summary (abstract) and a web link to the full text.

Other

For processing of personal data (https://www.kth.se/om/work-at-kth/processing-of-personal-data-in-the-recruitment-process-1.823440) in connection with recruitment.

There may be cases where an employment at KTH is classified. If this is the case for this employment, a security review of the applicant will be conducted in accordance with the Security Protection Act (2018:585) after consent. In these cases, a condition for employment is that the applicant is approved after the security review.

We kindly ask for no direct contact with staffing and recruitment companies or advertisers of job postings.

Become a part of KTH

KTH shapes the future through education, research, and innovation. As a leading international technical university, we play an active role in driving and participating in the transition to a sustainable society. Here, you have the opportunity to grow and develop in a creative and dynamic workplace with good working conditions and benefits. Equality, diversity, and equal opportunities are quality issues and an obvious part of KTH's values as a university and public authority.

Read more about working at KTH (https://www.kth.se/om/jobba-pa-kth).