ABOUT VINUNIVERSITY 

VinUniversity (VinUni) is Vietnam’s first private, not-for-profit university established to international standards, with the vision of becoming one of the world’s top 100 universities. Guided by its core values (EXCEL) of Empathy, Creativity, Leadership Mindset, Exceptional Capability, and Entrepreneurial Spirit, VinUni develops talent equipped to create meaningful impact in Vietnam and globally. 

Founded by Vingroup, one of Asia’s largest private conglomerates, VinUni benefits from a dynamic ecosystem spanning Industrials & Technology, Real Estate & Services, Infrastructure, Green Energy, Culture, and Social Enterprises. This ecosystem provides unique opportunities for collaboration and innovation through leading organizations such as VinFast, Vinpearl, Vinmec, Vinschool, and Vinhomes, as well as a vibrant entrepreneurial network including VinVentures, VinMotion, VinRobotics, VinSpace, and VinEnergo, etc. 

VinUni comprises four colleges: the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business and Management, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, and the College of Health Sciences. The University has established strategic partnerships with Cornell University, the University of Pennsylvania and Nanyang Technological University to advance excellence in education, research, and innovation. 

In 2024, VinUni became the youngest and fastest university globally to achieve QS 5 Stars, earning the highest rating in nine categories: Global Engagement, Good Governance, Program Strength, Academic Development, Teaching, Employability, Facilities, Arts, and Social Impact. The University was also appointed by UNESCO as the first and only UNESCO Chair University, focusing on Environmental Leadership, Cultural Heritage, and Biodiversity. 

As a rapidly growing research-intensive university, VinUni is investing in world-class talent, research centers, and cutting-edge facilities to drive breakthroughs in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Data Science, Environmental Intelligence, Innovations in Health Sciences, Policy Development, and Sustainable Societies. 

ABOUT INNOVATIONS IN HEALTH SCIENCES  

Innovations in Health Sciences focuses on four strategic research pillars: Immunology, Stem Cell & Gene Technology, Precision Medicine&Health Tech and Population Health & Health Systems. At Innovations in Health Sciences (IHS), we aim to comprehensively address and develop innovative solutions that promote health, wellness, and disease prevention, enhance early detection, and provide novel and affordable precision medicine solutions to the most common health issues in Vietnam, Southeast Asia, and beyond. Additionally, we aim to be the leading authority on healthcare access and the social determinants of health shaping outcomes across Vietnam and Southeast Asia, with the goal of developing policies, practices, and interventions that improve health and well-being. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION 

Epilepsy affects 1% of the world’s population. Up to 30% suffer from drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE), out of which more than 30% do respond favorably to surgery though only a small fraction can undergo neuromodulation (single-pulse electrical stimulation-SPES). Effective tools are needed to identify candidates for right intervention before applying brain resection planning. Lack of an intelligent technique deprives clinicians from discovering robust biomarkers, relating scalp signatures to intracranial networks, and moving neuromodulation beyond bespoke experimentation into protocol-driven care.   

This Postdoctoral Researcher, with background knowledge in advanced signal processing and machine learning, will build upon 20 years of joint research with epileptologists in the UK reflected in over 50 publications, the unique data recorded in King’s College London (KCL) Hospital, developed methods for identification of both interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) as well as delayed responses to SPES, and the previous surgery outcomes, to develop a unified expert system for automatic localization of seizure network, translate scalp to intracranial EEG data, and most importantly rank the surgical target and predict the recovery brain resection outcome. Patient demands and rapid establishment of new neuromodulation centers across the world confirm the urgency for doing this project.   

The PDRA will be supervised by Professor Sanei, a pioneer in EEG Signal Processing, to achieve the following objectives:   

1) delineation of seizure propagation networks, 2) relating scalp-EEG features to intracranial markers, 3) ranking candidate resection/ablation targets and 4) estimating the probability of patient response to neuromodulation and the corresponding parameter ranges. 

KEY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

Roles & responsibilities: 

The successful candidate will be a driving force behind the project’s success and will be expected to: 

• Mediate between Neuroscience in King’s College London and VinUniversity for data collection, assessment, and clinical consultation 

• Manage the data archival and retrieval in secure way. 

• Understand, compile and run the previous algorithms on IED detection and identification of short and delayed responses to deep brain electrical stimulation (SPES) for old and new data. 

•  Develop an AI-based predictor to predict the outcome of brain resection for drug-resistant epilepsy before the operation using the outcome of IED and SPES analysis. 

• Mentorship: Assist in mentoring undergraduate and graduate students involved in the project. 

• Participate in the regularly scheduled Works in Progress and present at least once annually. 

• Attend all professional development activities targeted to post-doctoral and early career faculty. 

• Prepare and submit at least 2 journal and 2 conference papers to disseminate the results.  

KEY SELECTION CRITERIA: 

• The applicant will be based in VinUniversity, Hanoi, Vietnam, working on an interdisciplinary project between CECS and CHS, supervised by a team including both engineers and clinicians, leading by Professor Saeid Sanei, and will collaborate with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience (IoPPN) in KCL. The candidate is required to   

• Have a PhD in Signal Processing, Machine Learning, or Bioengineering from a reputed university.   

• Have a strong background in the related subjects in signal processing, machine learning, and preferably familiarity with seizure electroencephalography (EEG) analysis.   

• Be fluent in reading, writing, and communicating in English.   

APPOINTMENT DETAILS 

• Salary: The salary and benefits are competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience. 

• Contract: The position is offered on a yearly contract basis. The initial contract is renewed, typically for one year, subject to availability of funds, project needs, satisfactory performance, and approval from IHS. 

• Principal Investigator: A successful candidate will work under management of [Professor Saeid Sanei from College of Engineering and Computer Science as well as College Health Science. VinUniversity and Dr Antonio Valentin from