University: Maynooth University
Country: Ireland
Deadline: 2026-07-01
Fields: Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Biomedical Engineering, Data Science
Are you passionate about leveraging artificial intelligence to transform healthcare and eager to contribute to cutting-edge research in medical imaging and natural language processing?
If so, the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Maynooth University in Ireland offers an exceptional opportunity. A fully funded PhD position is now available in the Department of Computer Science, focusing on Multimodal Learning for Abdominal X-ray Report Generation with Large Language Models. This prestigious doctoral scholarship provides the ideal environment for ambitious researchers to advance the field of medical AI while developing their own expertise.
About the University or Research Institute
Maynooth University, located just outside Dublin, is one of Ireland’s leading academic institutions. With a strong reputation for research excellence and innovation, the university fosters a vibrant and inclusive academic community. The Faculty of Science and Engineering is renowned for its interdisciplinary approach, supporting world-class research across computer science, engineering, and related fields. The university’s proximity to Dublin provides access to Ireland’s dynamic technology sector and thriving research ecosystem, making it an attractive destination for international scholars.
Ireland itself is recognized for its welcoming culture, high quality of life, and strong investment in higher education and research. As an EU member state, Ireland offers excellent opportunities for collaboration and networking within the European research community.
Research Topic and Significance
The PhD project centers on the development of advanced AI techniques for automatic generation of clinical reports from abdominal X-ray images using large multimodal language models (MLLMs). While significant progress has been made in chest X-ray report generation, abdominal X-ray datasets remain underexplored, limiting the advancement of clinically relevant AI tools in this domain.
By constructing a new, clinically grounded abdominal X-ray image–report paired dataset and benchmarking current algorithms, this research aims to address critical gaps in the field. The project’s outcomes have the potential to reduce diagnostic workload, enhance clinical efficiency, and improve the reliability and interpretability of AI-generated medical reports. This work is highly relevant in today’s healthcare landscape, where efficient and accurate medical imaging interpretation is essential for patient care.
Project Details
The successful candidate will work under the supervision of Dr. Zi Ye, with co-supervision from Dr. Aidan Mooney. The project involves:
– Constructing a high-quality paired dataset of abdominal X-ray images and clinical reports from real-world clinical data.
– Establishing a comprehensive benchmark to evaluate existing medical report generation models.
– Developing efficient multimodal approaches that improve the alignment between visual information and generated clinical text, with a focus on enhancing visual grounding in medical MLLMs.
– Collaborating with external clinical partners and contributing to interdisciplinary research efforts.
The doctoral scholarship provides a generous stipend of €25,000 per annum, full tuition coverage, and is tenable for up to four years, subject to satisfactory academic progress. The position requires full-time residency in Ireland, with research activities based primarily at the Maynooth University campus.
Candidate Profile
This opportunity is ideal for applicants with a strong academic background and a passion for AI-driven healthcare solutions. Suitable candidates will typically possess:
– A minimum 2.1 honours degree (or equivalent), or a relevant Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline.
– Solid foundations in deep learning and computer vision.
– Proficiency in Python and the PyTorch framework.
– (Desirable) Experience with multimodal large language models, particularly in vision-language tasks.
– Strong analytical skills, a collaborative mindset, and a commitment to rigorous scientific research.
Non-native English speakers must provide evidence of English language proficiency as required by Maynooth University.
Application Process
Applications must include the following documents:
– Personal statement
– Curriculum Vitae
– Research proposal (maximum 4,000 words)
– Relevant final academic transcripts
– Names and contact details of two referees
All applications must be submitted via the official process outlined by Maynooth University. The closing date for applications is 5pm on 1st July 2026. Applications may be reviewed on a rolling basis, and shortlisted candidates will be contacted directly by the Department of Computer Science.
Please refer to the official advertisement for application details.
For more information and to view the original post, visit:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/zi-ye-8644931b6_fully-funded-phd-opportunity-ugcPost-7461383272774914048-CGfJ
Conclusion
This fully funded PhD position offers a unique chance to contribute to impactful research at the intersection of artificial intelligence and medicine. If you are motivated to advance the boundaries of multimodal AI and improve clinical practice, consider applying to join Maynooth University’s dynamic research community. Stay tuned for similar opportunities and take the next step in your academic journey.
Questions & Answers
Question: What are the main benefits of pursuing a PhD at Maynooth University?
Maynooth University offers a supportive research environment, access to interdisciplinary collaborations, and proximity to Ireland’s technology sector. The fully funded scholarship covers tuition and provides a generous stipend, allowing students to focus on their research.
Question: What is the significance of multimodal learning in medical report generation?
Multimodal learning enables AI models to process and align information from both images and text, improving the accuracy and reliability of automatically generated medical reports, which is crucial for clinical decision-making.
Question: Are international students eligible for this PhD position?
Yes, international students are encouraged to apply, provided they meet the academic and English language proficiency requirements set by Maynooth University.
Question: What programming skills are required for this project?
Applicants should be proficient in Python and have experience with deep learning frameworks such as PyTorch. Additional experience with vision-language models is desirable.
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