Clinical Research Fellow - Department of Applied Health Sciences -106474 - Clinical

Position Details

• Department of Applied Health Sciences, School of Health Sciences, College of Medicine and Health
• Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK
• Full time starting salary is normally in the range £45,943 to £77,196

Clinical

Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to January 2027

Closing date: 15th October 2025

Background

We are seeking a Clinical Research Fellow to join the AI and Digital Health Research & Policy Group, led by Professor Alastair Denniston, Chair in Regulatory Science and Innovation. Our team is at the forefront of developing and translating AI technologies for equitable healthcare, with a particular focus on AI-enabled oculomics - the use of retinal imaging and artificial intelligence to detect hidden indicators of systemic health. This role will contribute to a major EPSRC-funded programme aiming to transform community-based screening and diagnosis by leveraging routine eye checks as a gateway to early detection of conditions such as cardiovascular disease and dementia. The team works closely with academic, clinical, regulatory, and policy partners to ensure innovations are safe, effective, and aligned with community health priorities.

The Clinical Research Fellow will combine clinical experience with research expertise to advance the safe and effective implementation of AI and digital health technologies, with a focus on community-based screening using AI-enabled retinal imaging. The role will involve working closely with healthcare teams, optometrists, clinicians, and patients to ensure that research is grounded in real-world clinical practice and reflects the needs of medically underserved populations. The Fellow will contribute to the development of a flexible AI platform tailored to local health priorities, and help shape the clinical translation of oculomic technologies.

This post offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the development of RETFound, one of the first foundation models in medicine, and to explore its application in community settings. The Fellow will support the creation of Target Model Profiles (TMPs), engage in evaluation of synthetic data and vision-language models, and help identify barriers and enablers to implementation. The work will directly inform future deployment of AI tools in high-street optometry and other accessible healthcare settings.

Knowledge transfer and policy engagement opportunities include being part of the national AI & Digital Regulations Service (led by MHRA, NICE, CQC, and HRA but with support from our team), and to participate on the new UoB-hosted MSc in AI Implementation (Health).

As a Clinical Research Fellow, you will play a key role in shaping the research direction of these projects, contributing to funding applications, and engaging with policymakers, regulators, and industry partners.

Role Summary

• Lead and contribute to research focused on AI-enabled oculomics, including the development and evaluation of foundation models for retinal image analysis. This includes Initiating and conducting research with measurable outcomes and reflected in a growing national and often incipient international reputation; and planning, designing and co-ordinating research activities and programmes.
• Support the translation of AI technologies into community settings, such as high-street optometry, to enable early detection of systemic diseases. 
• Contribute to the creation of Target Model Profiles (TMPs) to ensure AI models are aligned with community health priorities and regulatory standards.
• Contribute to the development of research strategies.
• Publish results of own research.
• Supervise PhD students.
• Contribute to the Department/School through management/leadership. 
• Develop and make substantial contributions to knowledge transfer, enterprise, business engagement, public engagement activities, widening participation, schools outreach or similar activities at Department/School level or further within the University.
• Contribute clinical insights to research projects, ensuring that studies are relevant and applicable to real-world clinical settings.
• Engage with multidisciplinary teams including clinicians, nurses, and allied health professionals to design and implement research that is clinically meaningful.
• Support translation of research findings into clinical practice, contributing to guidelines, protocols, and decision-making tools.

Main Duties

To plan and carry out research, using appropriate methodology and techniques. This may include, where appropriate to the discipline:

• Pursue the research relating to this oculomics project including developing research ideas.
• Collaborate on the development and validation of RETFound, a foundation model for retinal imaging, including integration of vision-language capabilities and synthetic data. 
• Participate in the evaluation of model fairness, robustness, and clinical utility across diverse populations and imaging systems. 
• Engage with community stakeholders and public contributors to co-design research priorities and implementation strategies. 
• Contribute to workshops and knowledge synthesis activities focused on barriers and enablers to AI adoption in community health screening.
• Plan, publish and/or execute high quality research relating to this oculomics project.
• Project manage research activities, and/or supervise other research staff.
• Present high-quality findings in publications and conference proceedings.
• Develop novel methodologies and techniques appropriate to the type of research being pursued.
• Supervise and examine PhD students, both within and out with the University.
• Provide expert advice to colleagues and students within discipline.
• Contribute to the administration/management of research across the Department/School.
• Develop and make substantial contributions to knowledge transfer, enterprise, business engagement, , and public engagement activities of manifest benefit to the College and the University.
• Contribute to some administrative activities within the University, typically relating to research.
• Apply knowledge in a way that develops new intellectual understanding.
• Actively manages equality, diversity and inclusion through monitoring and evaluation and actively challenging unacceptable behaviour.
• Provide expert clinical input into study design, protocol development, and risk assessment for AI and digital health technologies.
• Recruit, consent, and manage patients where relevant to research studies, ensuring adherence to ethical standards and GCP (Good Clinical Practice).
• Collaborate with clinical teams to integrate research findings into practice and provide training or guidance on new technologies or clinical tools.
• Monitor clinical safety and outcomes of AI/digital health interventions under study.
• Act as a liaison between the research group and clinical departments, ensuring smooth integration of research within clinical services.

Person Specification

• Medical degree (MBBS or equivalent) with current GMC registration, or equivalent clinical qualification.
• Experience in ophthalmology.
• Extensive research experience and scholarship within oculomics and patient reported outcomes.
• Knowledge of clinical governance, patient safety, and research ethics in a healthcare setting.
• Experience and achievement reflected in a growing reputation. 
• Ability to translate clinical insights into research strategy and policy recommendations.
• Extensive experience and demonstrated success in planning, undertaking and project managing research to deliver high quality results.
• Extensive experience of applying and/or developing and devising successful models, techniques and methods.
• Extensive experience and achievement in knowledge transfer, enterprise and similar activity.
• Experience of championing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in own work area.
• Ability to monitor and evaluate the extent to which equality and diversity legislation, policies, procedures are applied.
• Ability to identify issues with the potential to impact on protected groups and take appropriate action.

Knowledge / Skills / Experience

• Ability to work in both clinical and research environments, bridging the gap between patient care and research outputs.
• Understanding of regulatory frameworks for clinical research, medical devices, and AI health technologies.
• Experience with AI applications in medical imaging, particularly ophthalmology or digital diagnostics.
• Understanding of health data equity and the challenges of deploying AI in underserved communities.
• Familiarity with regulatory frameworks for AI-enabled medical devices and digital health tools.

Communications / Organisational Skills / Responsibilities:

• Emphasise clinical liaison and patient communication: Communicates complex clinical and research information effectively to multidisciplinary teams and patients.
• Ability to manage both clinical responsibilities and research projects concurrently.
• Ability to communicate complex AI and imaging concepts to clinical and public audiences.
• Experience working with multidisciplinary teams including data scientists, engineers, and public contributors.
• Proven ability to manage research activities that span technical development, clinical evaluation, and policy engagement.

OH and DBS required

The University is committed to safeguarding and we promote safe recruitment practice, therefore all associated pre-employment checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. Due to the nature of the work undertaken in this role all successful applicants will be subject to a satisfactory Occupational Health and DBS clearance prior to appointment.

Further particulars can be found here

Informal enquiries to Alastair Denniston, email: a.denniston@bham.ac.uk 

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.