Clinical Research Fellow Department of Applied Health Sciences Clinical

Description

Department of Applied Health Sciences School of Health Sciences College of Medicine and Health

Location :
University of Birmingham Edgbaston Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range 45943 to 77196

Clinical

Full Time Fixed Term contract up to January 2027

Closing date : 15th October 2025

We are seeking a Clinical Research Fellow to join the AI and Digital Health Research & Policy Group led by Professor Alastair Denniston Chair in Regulatory Science and Innovation. Our team is at the forefront of developing and translating AI technologies for equitable healthcare with a particular focus on AI-enabled oculomics - the use of retinal imaging and artificial intelligence to detect hidden indicators of systemic health.

This role will contribute to a major EPSRC-funded programme aiming to transform community-based screening and diagnosis by leveraging routine eye checks as a gateway to early detection of conditions such as cardiovascular disease and dementia. The team works closely with academic clinical regulatory and policy partners to ensure innovations are safe effective and aligned with community health priorities.

The Clinical Research Fellow will combine clinical experience with research expertise to advance the safe and effective implementation of AI and digital health technologies with a focus on community-based screening using AI-enabled retinal imaging. The role will involve working closely with healthcare teams optometrists clinicians and patients to ensure that research is grounded in real-world clinical practice and reflects the needs of medically underserved populations.

The Fellow will contribute to the development of a flexible AI platform tailored to local health priorities and help shape the clinical translation of oculomic technologies.

This post offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the development of RETFound one of the first foundation models in medicine and to explore its application in community settings. The Fellow will support the creation of Target Model Profiles (TMPs) engage in evaluation of synthetic data and vision-language models and help identify barriers and enablers to implementation. The work will directly inform future deployment of AI tools in high-street optometry and other accessible healthcare settings.

Knowledge transfer and policy engagement opportunities include being part of the national AI & Digital Regulations Service (led by MHRA NICE CQC and HRA but with support from our team) and to participate on the new UoB-hosted MSc in AI Implementation (Health).

As a Clinical Research Fellow you will play a key role in shaping the research direction of these projects contributing funding applications and engaging with policymakers regulators and industry partners.

• Lead and contribute to research focused on AI-enabled oculomics including the development and evaluation of foundation models for retinal image analysis. This includes Initiating and conducting research with measurable outcomes and reflected in a growing national and often incipient international reputation; and planning designing and co-ordinating research activities and programmes.
• Support the translation of AI technologies into community settings such as high-street optometry to enable early detection of systemic diseases.
• Contribute to the creation of Target Model Profiles (TMPs) to ensure AI models are aligned with community health priorities and regulatory standards.
• Contribute to the development of research strategies.
• Publish results of own research.
• Supervise PhD students.
• Contribute to the Department / School through management / leadership.
• Develop and make substantial contributions to knowledge transfer enterprise business engagement public engagement activities widening participation schools outreach or similar activities at Department / School level or further within the University.
• Contribute clinical insights to research projects ensuring that studies are relevant and applicable to real-world clinical settings.
• Engage with multidisciplinary teams including clinicians nurses and allied health professionals to design and…