AI:X is an ambitious initiative at Aalborg University that aims to advance AI research and create real-world impact through interdisciplinary collaboration, and nine labs will be initiated in 2026 with a total of 18 PhD stipends.

The AI:HealthData Lab is part of the AI:X initiative with two PhD stipends and is a collaboration between the Data Engineering, Science, and Systems (DESS) research group, Department of Computer Science, the Technical Faculty of IT & Design and the Center for Clinical Data Science (CLINDA) and Center for General Practice (CAM), Department of Clinical Medicine, the Faculty of Medicine.

The two PhD stipends are open for appointment from 15 August 2026 or soon hereafter. The duration of the positions is three years.  

Health records contain a wealth of clinically valuable information, but much of this information, notably patient journal notes, is unstructured, hindering its use, potentially leading to suboptimal care. AI:HealthData Lab investigates AI methods that extract clinically relevant entities, relations and events from health records and organise them into knowledge graphs, supported by  techniques for efficient retrieval and analytics. As a first application, AI:HealthData Lab focuses on generating contextual and trustworthy patient summaries for general practitioners, saving time and improving care.

Your work tasks

The lab is looking for candidates for the following two PhD stipends.

You will develop methods for constructing and querying knowledge graphs, with a focus on integrating generative AI into information‑extraction pipelines. You will explore how ontologies can be used to define semantic queries that are evaluated over document corpora, such as collections of health records. Guided by emerging visions of AI‑native data systems capable of querying unstructured data declaratively, you will design and evaluate novel algorithms for extracting entities and relationships, while capturing provenance and enabling efficient and trustworthy querying.

You will implement and benchmark state-of-art methods for structuring health data using knowledge graphs and will develop solutions for querying such data leveraging generative AI technologies, aiming at generating context-specific summaries that reflect the patient’s trajectory and the needs for the upcoming consultation in general practice. The focus will be on designing clinically grounded solutions, with explainability and sourcing capabilities.

Finally, you will evaluate usability, clinical relevance, and workflow impact in collaboration with general practitioners, assessing efficiency gains, trustworthiness, and effects on clinical decision making.

Close collaboration between the 2 stipends is expected in order to share experiences and integrate technologies.

Your competencies 

Complementary competencies are expected from the 2 PhD candidates.

For Stipend 1, you are expected to have a background in computer science or a related field, with an interest in semantic technologies (ontologies, semantic querying) and information extraction. It is important to have strong programming skills, to prototype research ideas, and to have solid mathematical foundations, such as in linear algebra and relational algebra, to support the design and analysis of your algorithms. You should be curious, motivated, able to communicate clearly, and open to collaborating with health‑domain experts to ensure that your research aligns with real‑world needs. The working language for this position is English; Danish is not required.

For Stipend 2, you are expected to have an education in a medical or health-related field with a strong interest and understanding in data science or in a data science-related field with experience with health data science. You must be curious and driven with excellent interpersonal skills and writing competencies. Experience with programming languages, notably Python or R, is expected. The work will imply working with journal notes written in Danish. Therefore a sufficient level in Danish is required, in addition to fluency in English.

Qualification requirements

PhD stipends are allocated to individuals who hold a Master's degree. PhD stipends are normally for a period of 3 years. It is a prerequisite for allocation of the stipend that the candidate will be enrolled as a PhD student at the Technical Doctoral School of IT and Design (Stipend 1) or the Doctoral School in Medicine, Biomedical Science and Technology (Stipend 2) in accordance with the regulations of Ministerial Order No. 1124 of September 19, 2025 on the PhD Programme at the Universities and Certain Higher Artistic Educational Institutions.

According to the Ministerial Order, the progress of the PhD student shall be assessed at regular points in time. As part of the PhD study, you are among other things required to complete PhD courses corresponding to 30 ECTS, gain experience with teaching or other forms of knowledge dissemination and complete an external research stay outside of Aalborg University, preferably 3-6 months at a foreign research institution.

Who we are    

You will work under the supervision of both lab directors, Daniele Dell’Aglio, Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Science, Aalborg University and Charles Vesteghem, Associate Professor at the Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University.

Stipend 1 will primarily be located at the Data Engineering, Science and Systems (DESS) research group. DESS is a top‑tier research environment advancing innovation in data engineering, data science, and data systems, bringing together emerging talent and senior researchers with decades of pioneering contributions. The group develops cutting‑edge algorithms, frameworks, and prototype technologies that leverage high‑volume, complex data, including graph, multidimensional, and spatio‑temporal data. As a PhD student, you will join a vibrant, internationally recognized environment committed to pushing the boundaries of data‑intensive research and shaping next‑generation data technologies powering modern AI systems.

Stipend 2 will be anchored at the Center for Clinical Data Science (CLINDA) and the Center for General Practice (CAM) . CLINDA aims to conduct independent research in the development, application, and implementation of data infrastructures for AI-based decision support tools and is rapidly growing with currently more than 20 people. CAM focuses on bringing innovation to general practice and is now actively working on the validation and use of AI. Both centres provide an excellent environment to conduct innovative research with fellow PhD students, post-docs and more senior researchers, and also promote social interactions.

How to apply
Your application must include the following:

• Application, stating reasons for applying and qualifications in relation to the position,
• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Diplomas (bachelor’s and master's degree diploma, including grades)
• A list of max 3 references that can be contacted
• The MSc thesis (if completed at the time of application)

The application must be submitted via Aalborg University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aalborg University's website. 

Aalborg University wants to reflect the surrounding society and has diversity as a core value. Therefore, everyone, regardless of personal background and orientation, is encouraged to apply for the position.

Do you have any questions?     
If you have any questions about the position, you are more than welcome to contact us. You will find contact persons at the bottom of the jobpost.

Selected candidates with be invited for a first interview in week 18 (27/04 – 01/05).

A second interview will be organized shortly after, if needed, with a focus on completed projects and technical competencies.

A final decision is expected in week 19 (04/05-08/05).

Further information  
Read more about our recruitment process here.

The assessment of candidates for the position will be carried out by qualified experts.
Shortlisting will be applied. This means that after the application deadline, the head of the department, with the assistance of the hiring committee, will select the applicants to be assessed. All applicants will be informed whether they have been shortlisted for assessment or not.

The hiring process at Aalborg University may include a risk assessment as a tool to identify potential risks associated with new hires, ensuring the safety, compliance, and integrity of the workplace.

Read more about The Technical Doctoral School of IT and Design Stipend 1

Read more about The Doctoral School in Medicine, Biomedical Science and Technology Stipend 2

Salary and terms of employment
The employment is in accordance with the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities (the Appointment Order) and the Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities (in Danish).

Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with the collective agreement between the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations and the state (AC collective agreement) (in Danish) 

There is a mutual probationary period of 3 months for the position.

Aalborg University - Knowledge for the world
Aalborg University is an international workplace with more than 3,700 employees. We offer real-world-oriented education and create world-class research results through collaboration between researchers, students, and public and private companies. This is how we achieve insights, new solutions to societal problems, and knowledge that changes the world. Our main campus is in Aalborg, but we also have campuses in Esbjerg and Copenhagen.