Research Assistant/Associate Opening in Agentic Biomedical AI at the University of Manchester

[Paul Thompson]

The University of Manchester, Department of Computer Science, is seeking an ambitious AI researcher to join the British Heart Foundation Centre for Research Excellence (BHF-CRE) and the National Centre for Text Mining (NaCTeM), a world-leading centre in biomedical NLP and AI.

The role focuses on developing the next generation of agentic biomedical AI systems, moving beyond static language models toward adaptive, reasoning-driven AI capable of planning, retrieving, simulating, and interacting with complex biomedical environments to support cardiovascular disease research.

The successful candidate will join an existing interdisciplinary team of researchers working across:

- Large Language Models (LLMs)

- Natural Language Processing (NLP)

- Machine Learning and AI

- Biomedical and Clinical AI

- Cardiovascular Disease Research

You will work closely with AI researchers, clinicians, and biomedical scientists to design systems capable of reasoning, planning, tool use, simulation, and scientific discovery in healthcare settings.

Research themes include:

- Agentic LLM systems

- Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) architectures

- World models and simulation-informed AI

- Retrieval-augmented and tool-augmented reasoning

- Trustworthy and interpretable biomedical AI

We welcome applications from:

- Recent PhD graduates

- Candidates close to submitting their PhD thesis

- Researchers with strong backgrounds in AI, NLP, machine learning, or biomedical AI

You should ideally have:

- Experience with LLMs and modern deep learning systems

- Strong programming skills (Python, PyTorch/TensorFlow)

- A research track record in strong AI/NLP venues

- Interest in agentic AI, reasoning systems, MoE, or biomedical applications

Why Join Us?

- Work in one of the world’s leading biomedical NLP centres

- Access substantial dedicated AI compute infrastructure

- Collaborate with leading experts in AI, medicine, and cardiovascular science

- Publish at leading AI conferences and journals

- Receive support for conferences and career development

- Help shape AI systems with real-world healthcare impact

Contract Duration: Fixed term for 24 months (full time)

Salary: £32,080 - £46,049 per annum depending on experience

Closing date: 21 May 2026

For further details and to apply, please visit: https://www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk/Job/JobDetail?JobId=34883 

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Paul Thompson
Research Fellow
Department of Computer Science
National Centre for Text Mining
Manchester Institute of Biotechnology
University of Manchester
131 Princess Street
Manchester
M1 7DN
UK
http://personalpages.manchester.ac.uk/staff/Paul.Thompson/