Overall project description

Endotrain (“Digital Endocrinology Training Network to combat adrenal diseases”) is an inter-disciplinary Doctoral Consortium funded by the European Commission under the HORIZON.1.2 – Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions.

The overall objective of the Endotrain doctoral consortium is to train new experts in digital endocrine medicine, where artificial intelligence plays a role of paramount importance.

Indeed, endocrine medicine is entering a digital era. Data, technology, and personalised treatments offer more precise and accessible care. However, progress is slow due to a shortage of experts who can connect clinical practice with new artificial intelligence methods.

Endotrain will combine expertise from different fields and help researchers translate complex academic findings into practical healthcare solutions.

These skilled computer scientists and clinicians will foster innovation in endocrine care and beyond. They will enhance Europe’s ability to lead in digital medicine, while addressing the ethical, legal, and technological challenges of this rapidly changing field.

Open Ph.D. position at RAISE lab

RAISE lab at Sapienza is partner of the Endotrain consortium. As such, a Ph.D. position is open on Artificial intelligence–based virtual twins for monitoring, disease classification, and decision support in clinical practice.

Research areas

Computer science, Simulation-based automated synthesis and verification of human physiology models, Artificial intelligence, Machine learning

Supervisor

Prof. Toni Mancini
Research Lab in Artificial Intelligence for Systems Engineering (RAISE lab)
Department of Computer Science
Sapienza University of Rome, Italy

Duration and start date

3 years (with possibility of extension), starting from around June 2026 (tentative)

Application deadline

February 15th, 2026 (see below for applications submission platform)

Ph.D. programme description

The recipient of this Ph.D. position will carry out research activity at the Department of Computer science of Sapienza University of Rome, Italy (with secondments at University of Bergen, Norway and University of Ulm, Germany, see below).

The envisioned research is aimed at developing novel Artificial Intelligence–based methods and software to assist physicians with:

• Disease classification
• Treatment decision support
• What-if analyses.

Although the developed methods and software will be general-purpose, a special emphasis will be put on the clinical domains of interest for the Endotrain network.

The envisioned activities will be oriented at developing hybrid data-driven/model-based AI methods to analyse time series of clinical data coming from sensors, enriched by the possible trajectories of relevant human patho-physiology models of interest for:

• Phenotype classification
• Estimation of the probability of developing diseases
• Anomaly detection
• Early diagnosis.

The recipient will learn and apply a vast portfolio of complementary and synergic methods at the intersection of Artificial intelligence, Machine learning, Numerical simulation, Formal verification. Such methods include, among the others:

• AI-guided simulation of the mathematical models of the patho-physiology and PK/PD of the pharmaceutical compounds of interest
• AI-based black-box optimisation
• AI-based synthesis of virtual twins of adrenal patients to simulate treatment outcomes
• Synthetic data generation (virtual patients)
• Statistical model checking to ensure statistical correctness of the results
• Machine learning–based classification and regression methods.

The candidate will also design and develop new software and prototype models.

Primary hosting institution

RAISE Lab at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy

Secondments

The candidate is expected to spend time at some of institutions partners of the Endotrain network, among which:

• Computational Biology Unit, Department of Informatics, University of Bergen, Norway (under the co-supervision of Prof. Susanna Röblitz), to analyse pathophysiological models developed there
• Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Ulm, Germany (under the co-supervision of Prof. Walter Karlen), to develop interfaces for clinical data acquisition and personalised disease classification tools. 

Required skills and qualifications

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in computer science or a related field
• Command in software design and development in high-level programming languages
• Knowledge in model-basedas well as data-driven artificial intelligence (symbolic AI and machine learning)
• Fluency in the English language, both written and spoken
• Strong interest in interdisciplinary research
• Good communication skills

Doctoral Programme

The recipient will be enrolled in the PhD programme at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy

Participation in the interdisciplinary training of the Endotrain network is mandatory, including workshops, retreats, transferable skills courses, and cohort-wide meetings across Europe. 

Benefits/Salary/Social security

The position is an excellent opportunity for international networking at a pan-European level, industry exposure, and career development.

The successful candidate will receive an attractive salary in accordance with the MSCA regulations for Doctoral Candidate DCs. The gross salary includes a living allowance (€ 3821.53 per month), a mobility allowance of € 710 per month and, if applicable, a family allowance of € 660 per month. These amounts are nominal (gross) amounts and certain deductions will apply for social security contributions and/or taxes according to the applicable Italian national laws. The exact (net) salary will be confirmed upon appointment and is dependent on local tax regulations.