PhD position in data protection law with a focus on synthetic health data and artificial intelligence

There is a huge potential for using artificial intelligence(AI) for improving diagnosis and treatment of many diseases. Large amounts of clinical data are needed to train useful AI systems. However, patient data are sensitive personal data to which there is only limited access, which can be a significant roadblock for researchers and students. Many promising methods to creating synthetic data based on generative AI have been suggested. The data science team under this project will develop privacy metrics based on Bayesian statistics.

The overarching purpose of the legal part of the project is to develop generative AI workflows and ensuring GDPR compliance, including by using the developed privacy metric. In addition to technical considerations, both ethical and legal concerns must be addressed in the creation and governance of synthetic health data using sensitive personal data controlled by public health authorities. A unifying framework that mediates between the legally sound and the practically possible would help clear the barriers for meaningful synthetic data sharing.

The project– which is funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation's Data Science Collaborator programme– is carried out in collaboration with Center for Clinical Data Science(CLINDA) at Aalborg University and Center for Health Data Science, University of Copenhagen. The project is based on a novel direct collaboration between data scientists and legal experts to push this process forward with a focus on supporting the use of synthetic health data in academic research, enabling all parties with the space and support to understand each others’ perspectives and advance in open partnership.

Qualification requirements
PhD stipends are normally for a period of 3 years. PhD stipends are allocated to individuals who hold a Master’s degree, or expect to have obtained the Master’s degree before the employment date(Statement from thesis supervisor, verified transcripts, thesis contract and documentation of the date of the exam must be enclosed). According to the PhD Order, the PhD study comprises among other requirements: Participation in active research environments, including stays at other, mainly foreign, research institutions, private research enterprises etc.

We prefer that you have a master’s degree in law or business law and it will be a plus if you meets one or more of these additional criteria:

• Experience with data protection law
• Technical insights and experience with data science
• Understanding of and experience with health data
• Proficient in English

It is a prerequisite for allocation of the stipend that the candidate will be enrolled as a PhD student at The Doctoral School of Social Sciences and Humanities, in accordance with the regulations of Ministerial Order No. 1039 of 27 August 2013(PhD Order).

Application
Please visit thewebsite of the doctoral school for further information on the PhD programme, application procedure, and admission requirements.

The application must include the following and be written in English or Danish

Applicants WHO are planning to complete a doctoral thesis in English and who do not have English as a first language or WHO have not completed an English language-based Master's programme(or an equivalent educational achievement in English) shall provide documentation that they have passed one of the following official tests with the respective minimum score: IELTS(band score): 7, TOEFL(paper-based): 600, TOEFL(internet-based): 100. The language test must be no more than five years old at the time of the application.

Shortlisting will be applied. This means that subsequent to the deadline for applications the head of department supported by the chair of the assessment committee will select candidates for assessment. All applicants will be informed whether they will be assessed or not.

The application can only be submitted by using the link on AAU’s job-portalhttps://www.stillinger.aau.dk/ (not other online job portals that may have reposted the position).. Please note that zipped files are not supported by the recruitment system, please upload only Word or PDF files.

Contact
For further information on the PhD stipend, please contact Associate Professor Marie Jull Sørensen, email: [email protected] or phone: 9940 9875. 

For general information about the application process etc., please contact Vigdis Skomager-Bohnfeldt, e-mail:[email protected] , phone:+45 9940 7408.

Appointment and salary as a PhD fellow are according to the Ministry of Finance Circular of 15 December 2021, on the Collective Agreement for Academics in Denmark, Appendix 5, regarding PhD fellows, and with the current Circular on the employment structure at Danish Universities. AAU wishes to reflect the diversity of society and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background or belief.