Postdoctoral Research Associate - Continually Monitoring and Updating Multi-modal AI Models

About the Position

We are recruiting a Postdoctoral Research Associate to join Tom Hartvigsen’s research group in UVA’s School of Data Science. The postdoc will work on developing machine learning methods to ultimately let dermatologists continually update multi-modal machine learning models. Our research objectives are to 1) develop novel model editing methods for multi-modal models, with a focus on vision-language models, and 2) develop novel, inherently-editable vision-language model architectures to facilitate continuous updates during deployment. The postdoc’s main responsibilities will be to develop and evaluate novel machine learning methods, including validation on dermatology data, aiding the translation of developed methods into practice by collaborating with clinicians, communicating results to other members of the team, and disseminating research findings through publications and presentations.

The postdoc will be a member of an interdisciplinary multi-university team and will have the opportunity to collaborate closely with Ahmed Alaa (UC Berkeley & UCSF), Roxana Daneshjou (Stanford), and their research teams. This position is part of project #1OT2OD038079-01 funded by the NIH.

Minimum Qualifications

• PhD degree in computer science, data science, or related fields.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills
• Robust machine learning and natural language processing skills
• Proficient computer programming skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Track record of top-tier machine learning publications
• Experience with machine learning on medical images
• Experience designing language model or vision-language model architectures
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, critical thinking, and communication (written and oral) skills
• Ability to work independently, collaboratively, and creatively

Physical Demands

This is primarily a sedentary job involving extensive use of desktop computing. The job may require traveling some distance to attend meetings and programs.

Position Details

This position will remain open until filled. This is a full-time in-person position at the School of Data Science at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA. The initial appointment is for one year; however, the appointment may be renewed for an additional year contingent upon funding and satisfactory performance. This is an exempt level, benefited position. This position will sponsor work visas. This is a term-limited position.

Anticipated Annual Salary: $60,000

Anticipated Start Date: January 2026

Health and Other Benefits

The choice between 3 different health plans; vision and dental insurance; life insurance; benefits savings accounts; starting with 22 days of paid time off a year in addition to 12 or more paid holidays; 8 weeks of paid parental leave; short term disability; up to $4,360 after your first year for combined use of tuition toward a degree-seeking program or up to $2,000 for professional development including classes, certification training and conferences; and more!

Application Process

Please visit the UVA job board: Careers at UVA Jobs and search for R0077182 .

Complete an application online and attach:

1. Cover letter detailing your interest and relevant experience to this position

2. Resume or CV

Applications that do not contain all required documents will not receive full consideration.

Health and Other Benefits

The choice between 3 different health plans; vision and dental insurance; life insurance; benefits savings accounts; starting with 22 days of paid time off a year in addition to 12 or more paid holidays; 8 weeks of paid parental leave; short term disability; up to $4,360 after your first year for combined use of tuition toward a degree-seeking program or up to $2,000 for professional development including classes, certification training and conferences; and more!

References will be completed via direct reach. Please plan to provide at least three references when applying.

A background check is required and will be conducted per university policy prior to the first day of employment.

For questions about the position, contact Tom Hartvigsen, Assistant Professor, at hartvigsen@virginia.edu .

For questions about the application process, please contact Daniel Strong, Senior Human Resources Recruiter, at das6zb@virginia.edu .

For more information about UVA and the Charlottesville community, please see www.virginia.edu/life/charlottesville and https://embarkcva.com/ .

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Education: Doctoral degree
Experience: None
Licensure: None

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

This is primarily a sedentary job involving extensive use of desktop computers. The job does occasionally require traveling some distance to attend meetings, and programs.

The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity employer. All interested persons are encouraged to apply, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Click here to read more about UVA’s commitment to non-discrimination and equal opportunity employment.