EPSRC DLA Studentship in the Interaction between AI Technology Innovation and AI Regulation in the Healthcare Sector

We are offering an EPSRC DLA studentship with the Department of Computer Science, focusing on the regulation of AI as a medical device.

The research project aims to address critical regulatory challenges posed by the rapid advancement of AI technologies in healthcare.

We invite interested candidates to apply by 12pm (UK time) on Friday, 7 March 2025.

Project description

AI as a Medical Device regulation must keep up with technical innovation. There are already many questions that need to be answered about existing AI approaches including:

  • How updating models impacts regulatory approval
  • What are the requirements for trustworthy explanation in medical decision-making by AI
  • How can confidence in decisions be reliably reported

This project aims to tackle these issues through a combination of empirical computational analyses, along with human / AI interaction methods.

Eligibility

Essential:

  • Solid background in computing and in particular data science, machine learning and AI.
  • Experience in working with medical datasets
  • Understanding of challenging of integrating and adopting AI solution in the NHS

Desirable:

  • Some exposure to regulation of AI

The studentship will be for a period of 42 months , starting 1 April 2025. You will receive an annual stipend of £21237, which includes an inner London weighting allowance, plus payment of your full-time home or EU tuition fee. You must be eligible for Home/EU tuition fees either through nationality, residency or other connection to the UK.

How to apply

Please email the documents listed below to cedps-pgr-office@brunel.ac.uk by 12pm on Friday 7th March.

  1. Your up-to-date CV
  2. A 300 to 500-word personal statement setting out why you are a suitable candidate, i.e. your skills and experience
  3. Your degree certificates and transcripts (translated into English, if appropriate)
  4. Evidence of English language skills to an overall score of IELTS 6.5 (or equivalent), if appropriate
  5. Name and contact details for two referees, one of which must be an academic referee

Meet the Supervisor(s)

Allan Tucker - Allan Tucker is Professor of Artificial Intelligence in the Department of Computer Science where he heads the Intelligent Data Analysis Group consisting of 17 academic staff, 15 PhD students and 4 post-docs. He has been researching Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics for 21 years and has published 120 peer-reviewed journal and conference papers on data modelling and analysis. His research work includes long-term projects with Moorfields Eye Hospital where he has been developing pseudo-time models of eye disease (EPSRC - £320k) and with DEFRA on modelling fish population dynamics using state space and Bayesian techniques (NERC - £80k). Currently, he has projects with Google, the University of Pavia Italy, the Royal Free Hospital, UCL, Zoological Society of London and the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew. He was academic lead on an Innovate UK, Regulators’ Pioneer Fund (£740k) with the Medical and Health Regulatory Authority on benchmarking AI apps for the NHS, and another on detecting significant changes in Adaptive AI Models of Healthcare (£195k). He is currently academic lead on two Pioneer Funds on Explainability of AI (£168k) and In-Silico Trials (£750k). He serves regularly on the PC of the top AI conferences (including IJCAI, AAAI, and ECML) and is on the editorial board for the Journal of Biomedical Informatics. He hosted a special track on "Explainable AI" at the IEEE conference on Computer Based Medical Systems in 2019 and was general chair for AI in Medicine 2021. He has been widely consulted on the ethical and practical implications of AI in health and medical research by the NHS, and the use of machine learning for modelling fisheries data by numerous government thinktanks and academia.
Gabriella Spinelli - Gabriella Spinelli is Reader in Healthcare Design and Innovation at the Brunel Design School, College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences. She holds a Laurea in Human Computer Interaction, a PhD in Computer Science, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (FHEA). Her research, spanning over two decades, focuses on Human Factors and User-Centred Design applied to complex socio-technical systems, with over 60 peer-reviewed journal and conference publications. Her research portfolio includes interdisciplinary projects across the public and third sectors. Notable projects include the analysis of police command and control room operations in collaboration with the National Police Intelligence Agency (EPSRC, £75k); long-term research on technology adoption and inclusive product design for ageing populations (ESRC, £520k; DAIWA Foundation, £15k); and the development of intuitive product-service systems for later life (Design Council, £25k; Research Councils UK, £40k). She has led applied research into community currencies and their role in reimagining social care and sustainable economic exchange (Innovate UK, £1M), as well as the development and evaluation of digital complementary currencies aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (FORMAS, £2M). In healthcare, her work includes the design and evaluation of inclusive, intuitive, and sustainable medical products (AHRC, £25k; NHS Charity, £60k; NHS England, £48k; POGP, £9k). Her current research centres on strategic design and regulatory innovation in digital health. She is Principal Investigator of RADIANT-CERSI (Centre for Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation) in Transformative Digital Health and AI, funded by the MRC (£1M), and leads additional programmes on innovation leadership in the NHS (Innovate UK, £250k), inclusive participation in clinical trials (NIHR, £260k) for sustainable health innovation models. She is named inventor on two medical device patents and co-founder of a start-up focused on women’s health. Gabriella co-directs the Centre for Research into Smart Technologies for Health and Rehabilitation (STAHR) and serves as Director of Innovation and Digital Health for the Brunel Partners Academic Centre for Health Sciences (BPACHS). She leads the Design for Health programme, facilitating co-development of clinically relevant innovations through NHS, medtech, and academic collaboration. In addition to her academic roles, she serves as Scientific Advisor to the UK Home Office (HOSAC), is a member of the EPSRC Peer Review College, Associate Editor of the Journal of Design for Augmented Humanity, and sits on the Organising Committee of the BMJ Future Health Conference. She is also a member of the Research and Innovation Steering Committee at Hillingdon Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and advisor to NeuroMind XR.