Master of Science/in Engineering Projects in Modelling and Simulation (Stipend)

Multifractal Modelling of Neuronal Spike Dynamics

Give us a chance to meet you

Sano Centre for Computational Medicine is a new International Scientific Foundation located in Kraków, Poland.

Sano aspires to be a major translational scientific institute, operating at the meeting point of academic science, established MedTech industry, and emerging start-up environment, combining the best of these three perspectives.

Sano acts as a core technology and expertise provider for industry, and creator of innovation, developing state-of-the-art solutions for healthcare. Thanks to the substantial funding and excellent European partnership network, Sano will bring a critical mass to this transformational field of research, in order to translate scientific advancements onto clinical practice. Sano’s ambition is to become the Reference Centre for Computational Medicine in Central Europe and build a reputation as a leading institute on a global level.

As a cross-disciplinary institution, Sano uses machine learning/artificial intelligence (ML/AI), large scale computer simulations (HPC), data science, and other computational technologies towards overcoming global challenges in healthcare systems. The research agenda will be executed in close collaboration with Partners in Poland, EU and USA.

We value:

Passion – Passion in what we do, engagement in Sano operations, taking responsibility, providing initiative, being happy at work.
Innovation – Boldness in articulating and pursuing novel ideas, courage to think outside the box.
Integrity – Directness, openness, tolerance and respect. Scientific integrity (we do not cut corners).
Diversity – Diversity in backgrounds, cultures and opinions of Sano employees. Promotion of women in STEM.

Location: Kraków
Employment type: part-time of approximately 16 working hours per week/40% FTE
Salary: up to 2500 PLN gross
Period of contract: 1 year
Scientific discipline: Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Computer Science, Computational Medicine, Data Science, Machine Learning, Complexity
Institution: Sano Centre for Computational Personalised Medicine – International Research Foundation, Krakow, Poland
Supervisor: Zbigniew R. Struzik
Position starts on: Expected start in mid/late 2022 (negotiable, depends on Candidate’s curriculum at the host Academic Institution)

We are looking for passionate, motivated graduate candidates willing to set a foot at the frontier of computational science for medicine— your research will help to propel development of new healthcare solutions, methods and paradigms. We are a rapidly expanding Team within a new not-for-profit research Institute, dedicated to the advancement of computational physiology and medicine. We aim at developing fundamental and applied approaches and solutions for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases. If you i) are a person who is interested in cutting-edge research in computational medicine; ii) are passionate about the use of computing paradigms in medicine; iii) want to actively and profoundly influence the future of healthcare through engagement in exciting and impactful projects; please contact us and talk to us in order to find out more about this opportunity.

Your project will entail multifractal modelling of neuronal spike dynamics. This you will do in order to shed light on the underlying reasons for the complexity of the observed ´phenomena.

Empirical time series of inter-event or waiting times are investigated using a modified Multifractal Formalism (Utilising Multiscale methods such as Continuous Wavelet Analysis, Wavelet Leaders Analysis, Multifractal Detrended Fluctuation Analysis). The core of the extended multifractal analysis is the nonmonotonic behavior of the generalized Hurst exponent h(q)—the fundamental exponent in the study of multifractals. The consequence of this behavior is the nonmonotonic
behavior of the coarse Hölder a(q) exponent leading to multibranchedness of the spectrum of dimensions. The Legendre-Fenchel transform is used instead of the routinely used canonical Legendre (single-branched) contact transform. Thermodynamic consequences of the multibranched multifractality are directly expressed in the language of phase transitions between thermally stable, metastable, and unstable phases.

Your work will aim at fully characterising the properties of neuronal spike dynamics using the fullfledged approach using Legendre-Fenchel Transform. We expect you — after obtaining required computational and theoretical insights into the multifractal formalism and methology — to compare the multifractal model with musicale probability density models of fluctuations obtained with Castaing’s formula.

You will join the Team dedicated to the discovery of mechanisms, methods and paradigms for the development of computational methods pertaining to making biophysical complexity tractable.By doing your Master of Science/in Engineering project you will contribute to turning scientific vision into tangible solutions for clinicians and patients. You will either engage in fundamental theoretical research with a clear applied facet — or you may prefer to draw from theory in developing methods. Output of your high-quality research will be disseminated at A grade conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals.

If you:

enjoy learning;
enjoy science;
want to do something meaningful in life,

then you are the kind of person we would like to talk to!

You are expected to:

conduct original, frontier scientific research, under the supervision of Dr Zbigniew R. Struzik, the Team Leader, and the (co-)supervisor at your Academic Institution;
participate in internal seminars and workshops at our Institute;
follow an individual plan of scientific development;collaborate with students, researchers and other employees of the Institute;
complete your Master of Science/in Engineering Thesis.

As our successful candidate you should have:

undergraduate degree – BSc, BEng, preferably in Physics, Mathematics, or Computer science;
interest in pursuing theoretical and/or applied computational research in the fields of computational physiology and medicine in a multi-disciplinary environment;
excellent knowledge of computational methods;
ability to think creatively and critically;
excellent written and oral English communication skills — the main language of the Team is English — no knowledge of other languages is required.

We offer a stipend contract for the duration of 2022/2023 academic year, and expect the student to work on the project for approx. 16 hours per week (40% FTE). This includes attendance of courses, trainings and internal research meetings. The research will be conducted in close collaboration with the Team Leader, Dr Zbigniew R. Struzik.

You will receive a stipend of up to 2500 PLN gross monthly for the duration of the contract. Our Institute offers excellent opportunities for study and development, participation in Polish and international projects, meetings, workshops and conferences in computational biomedicine — a possibility to grow in the scientific society.

If you feel that this job opportunity is the career that you are looking for, please apply immediately and give Sano a chance to meet you. Please, be informed that Sano will contact only with Candidates fulfilling the formal criteria.

Sano is an equal-opportunity employer. We prioritize diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for everyone. We value a spirit of enquiry and perseverance, provide the space to keep asking questions, and promote a culture of curiosity and creativity.

Do you recognize yourself in the job profile? Then we look forward to receiving your application.

Applications in .pdf should include:

a curriculum vitae;