PhD Student in Generative Acoustics in Surgery (Male / Female)

Join Our Dynamic Team at the University of Zurich

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Your Responsibilities

The primary responsibility of the PhD student is to conduct original research at the intersection of signal processing, machine learning, and medical imaging with direct applications to orthopedic surgery. The focus will be on developing generative audio models to create a realistic, action-conditioned soundscape of surgical procedures and enhancing the multimodality of current surgical simulations. This work will include:

• Data collection through ex-vivo experiments.
• Development of novel scientific methods along with integration into a functional prototype.
• Validation of the prototype through user studies.

Successful outcomes are expected to result in methodological contributions documented through publications in leading venues such as MICCAI, IPCAI, or Medical Image Analysis. During the initial phase, the candidate will review the state-of-the-art and establish a structured multi-year research plan in collaboration with the supervisor. The PhD is embedded in the graduate school of the University of Zurich, and the candidate will also serve as a teaching assistant for 1-2 courses per year.

Your Project Involves

• Advancing the state-of-the-art of generative models to generate action-conditioned realistic soundscapes for the next generation of multimodal surgical simulations.
• Developing an advanced data capture setup and acquiring a dataset during realistic ex-vivo experiments at OR-X.
• Benchmarking existing generative approaches to produce a realistic soundscape for surgical tool-tissue interaction.
• Conducting validation and user studies to evaluate the effectiveness of the developed methods.
• Collaborating with surgeons and engineers to ensure translational relevance.
• Disseminating results through scientific publications, patents, and prototype demonstrations.

Your Profile

You hold an excellent MSc degree in mechanical, electrical engineering, or computer science, and possess a strong background in signal processing, machine learning, computer vision, and image processing—ideally within the context of computer-assisted surgery. You bring excellent programming skills, hands-on experience with hardware (e.g., audio capture devices, cameras, tracking systems, imaging devices), and proficiency with software frameworks (OpenCV, Open3D, ROS2, AI/ML libraries).

We are looking for candidates who demonstrate:

• Solid understanding of generative models and proven experience working with multimodal data (images, 3D data, natural language, audio).
• Familiarity with AI/ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow) and signal processing tools (e.g., scipy, librosa).
• Practical experience with computer vision and/or machine listening, alongside proficiency in relevant libraries (e.g., OpenCV, Open3D, librosa, PyAudio).
• Excellent communication skills in English (German is a plus), combined with initiative, problem-solving ability, and teamwork.

How to Apply

Apply online using the form below. Please note that only applications matching the job profile will be considered.

For more information, please contact:

Joelle Kunz
Assistant
+41 44 510 73 66
Joinrocs@balgrist.ch