THIS VACANCY IS OPEN TO INTERNAL CANDIDATES ONLYAbout UsWithin the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine (FoLSM), the School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences ( ) is a cutting-edge research and teaching School dedicated to development, translation and clinical application within medical imaging and computational modelling technologies. Our objective is to facilitate research and teaching guided by clinical questions and is aimed at novelty, understanding of physiology and pathophysiology as well as development of new diagnostic tools and therapies. In this way, basic science can be rapidly translated into clinical applications (and vice versa).About The RoleWe are seeking a Research Associate to take a leading role in the next phase of our programme on AI-enabled autonomous robotic navigation for mechanical thrombectomy (MT). MT is a time-critical treatment for acute ischaemic stroke, but access remains limited by the specialist expertise and infrastructure required. The project will investigate how intelligent endovascular robots can navigate catheters and guidewires safely and reliably, helping build the scientific and engineering foundations for future clinically deployable systems.The successful candidate will develop learning-based perception, planning and control methods and integrate them with patient-specific simulation, an endovascular robotic platform and real-time fluoroscopic device tracking. This may include reinforcement and imitation learning, world models or model-based control, safety-aware learning, uncertainty estimation, failure prediction and recovery. A central goal will be to improve generalisation across anatomies, devices and experimental conditions while retaining transparent and rigorous safety evaluation.You will plan and conduct studies, analyse performance and safety, maintain high-quality reproducible code and data, and publish findings in leading robotics, AI and medical-engineering venues. You will work closely with Prof Thomas Booth and Prof Tom Vercauteren and a multidisciplinary network of engineers, computer scientists, interventional neuroradiologists and external collaborators. You will also contribute to grant applications, research governance and intellectual property where appropriate, and support the development of students and junior researchers.This role offers the opportunity to help shape an emerging field at the interface of artificial intelligence, medical robotics and stroke intervention, with a clear route from methodological innovation to translational impact. The post is based primarily at St Thomas’ Campus because it includes hands-on robotics and imaging experiments.This is a full time (35 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract of 2 + 3 years (ARPA model).Research staff at King’s are entitled to at least 10 days per year (pro-rata) for professional development. This entitlement, from the , applies to Postdocs, Research Assistants, Research and Teaching Technicians, Teaching Fellows and AEP equivalent up to and including grade 7. Visit the for more information.About YouTo be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:Essential criteria * PhD (awarded, submitted or near completion) in artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, computer science, biomedical engineering or a closely related discipline
- Demonstrable research experience developing machine-learning methods for robotics, control or autonomous systems, including reinforcement learning, imitation learning, model-based learning or an equivalent approach.
- Experience designing and evaluating algorithms in simulation and/or on physical robotic or mechatronic systems using rigorous quantitative methods.
- Strong programming skills in Python and experience with a modern machine-learning framework such as PyTorch, TensorFlow or JAX.
- Evidence of producing and communicating high-quality research, for example through peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations or open research outputs
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary team spanning engineering, computer science and clinical research.
- The ability to take individual responsibility for planning and undertaking own work, according to clinical and scientific deadlines
Desirable criteria * Experience with safety-aware learning, failure prediction, sim-to-real transfer or world-model approaches.
- Experience with medical image analysis or real-time computer vision, particularly fluoroscopy or device tracking.
- Experience in endovascular, surgical or medical robotics, image-guided intervention, or catheter and guidewire navigation
- Clinical experience, e.g., interaction with clinicians and/or handling of patients
- Experience integrating learning algorithms with robotic hardware, ROS or other robot middleware, GPU systems, or real-time experimental pipelines.
Downloading a copy of our Job DescriptionFull details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6.Further InformationAt King’s, we believe that the diversity of our community and a culture that is welcoming, open, inclusive and collaborative, are great strengths of the university.The Equality Act of 2010 protects the rights of our students and staff and provides a framework to fulfil our duties to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and in addition, to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. At times, this will include balancing rights and beliefs that can feel in tension.We are committed to free speech and to academic freedom, believing that our foundational purpose as a university, is to create spaces where a wide range of ideas, including ideas that are controversial, can be discussed and debated, and where members of our community can express lawful views without fear of intimidation, harassment or discrimination.When engaging in the robust exchange of ideas, we ask that our community is mindful of our Dignity at King’s guidance.We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the person specification section of the job description. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘ ‘ pages.
Grade and Salary : £45,031 – £52,514 per annum including London weighting allowance Job ID : 160466
Post Date : 14-Oct-2026 Close Date : 21-Oct-2026
Contact Person : Thomas Booth Contact Details : thomas.booth@kcl.ac.uk
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