Research Assistant/Associate in Agentic Biomedical AI

Shape the Future of Biomedical AI at the University of Manchester

British Heart Foundation Centre for Research Excellence | Department of Computer Science | National Centre for Text Mining (NaCTeM)
Full-time, Fixed Term (2 Years)
Suitable for Recent PhD Graduates or Candidates Nearing PhD Submission
Areas: Agentic AI • LLMs • Biomedical NLP • MoE • World Models

The University of Manchester, Department of Computer Science, is seeking an ambitious AI researcher to join the British Heart Foundation Centre for Research Excellence (BHF-CRE) and the National Centre for Text Mining (NaCTeM), a world-leading centre in biomedical NLP and AI.

This role focuses on developing the next generation of agentic biomedical AI systems, moving beyond static language models toward adaptive, reasoning-driven AI capable of planning, retrieving, simulating, and interacting with complex biomedical environments to support cardiovascular disease research.

The successful candidate will join an existing interdisciplinary team of researchers working across:

• Large Language Models (LLMs)
• Natural Language Processing (NLP)
• Machine Learning and AI
• Biomedical and Clinical AI
• Cardiovascular Disease Research

You will work closely with AI researchers, clinicians, and biomedical scientists to design systems capable of reasoning, planning, tool use, simulation, and scientific discovery in healthcare settings.

Research themes include:

• Agentic LLM systems
• Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) architectures
• World models and simulation-informed AI
• Retrieval-augmented and tool-augmented reasoning
• Trustworthy and interpretable biomedical AI

We welcome applications from:

• Recent PhD graduates
• Candidates close to submitting their PhD thesis
• Researchers with strong backgrounds in AI, NLP, machine learning, or biomedical AI

You should ideally have:

• Experience with LLMs and modern deep learning systems
• Strong programming skills (Python, PyTorch/TensorFlow)
• A research track record in strong AI/NLP venues
• Interest in agentic AI, reasoning systems, MoE, or biomedical applications

Why Join Us?

1. Work in one of the world’s leading biomedical NLP centres
2. Access substantial dedicated AI compute infrastructure
3. Collaborate with leading experts in AI, medicine, and cardiovascular science
4. Publish at leading AI conferences and journals
5. Receive support for conferences and career development
6. Help shape AI systems with real-world healthcare impact

What you will get in return:

• Fantastic market leading Pension scheme
• Excellent employee health and wellbeing services including an Employee Assistance Programme
• Exceptional starting annual leave entitlement, plus bank holidays
• Additional paid closure over the Christmas period
• Local and national discounts at a range of major retailers

As an equal opportunities employer we welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of age, sex, gender (or gender identity), ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation and transgender status. All appointments are made on merit.

Our University is positive about flexible working – you can find out more here

Hybrid working arrangements may be considered.

Please note that we are unable to respond to enquiries, accept CVs or applications from Recruitment Agencies.

Any recruitment enquiries from recruitment agencies should be directed to recruitmentservices.people@manchester.ac.uk

Any CV’s submitted by a recruitment agency will be considered a gift.

Please note if taken as a Grade 5 assistant this role is not eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route of the Points Based System. Candidates will need to be able to demonstrate their right to work in the UK in order to be eligible to take up the post.

Enquiries about the vacancy, shortlisting and interviews:

Name: Sophia Ananiadou

Email: sophia.ananiadou@manchester.ac.uk

General enquiries:

Email: recruitmentservices.people@manchester.ac.uk

Technical support:

https://jobseekersupport.jobtrain.co.uk/support/home

This vacancy will close for applications at midnight on the closing date.

Please see the link below for the Further Particulars document which contains the person specification criteria.