We always have openings and welcome inquiries from talented and motivated students, postdocs, and collaborators interested in AI in medicine, biomedical NLP, multimodal AI, medical imaging, and trustworthy AI. Before reaching out, I encourage you to learn about our research areas, read some of our recent work, and consider whether there is a strong fit in interests, working style, and goals. If you think there may be a good match, I would be glad to hear from you.
My goal is to help train the next generation of independent researchers. I am committed to regular one-on-one meetings focused on both project progress and personal growth. I have received the NIH Summer Mentor Award four times and the NLM Data Science and Informatics Mentoring Award.
I provide detailed guidance, including technical and implementation-level support, especially when you are entering a new research area. Over time, I aim to support increasing independence as you grow, lead projects, and develop your own research direction. I also support collaboration, research training, and grant or paper development when appropriate.
People work in different ways. The goal is not to fit one specific style, but to work in ways that align well and support strong, meaningful research.
We work on AI in medicine, and I look for people who are not only interested in this area, but genuinely passionate about building a PhD or career in it. If AI in medicine is not something you are truly excited about, this is unlikely to be the right fit.
I also look for people who are proactive, motivated, and resilient. This does not mean working day and night; that is neither sustainable nor healthy. It means taking initiative, thinking beyond assigned tasks, engaging seriously with the research process, and caring about the bigger picture and next steps.
I value rigor. Strong research requires both technical depth and scientific discipline. I expect lab members to think critically, support claims with evidence, and make their work as reproducible and useful to the broader community as possible.
I also expect strong awareness of privacy, security, and research compliance. Because we work with health-related data on a regular basis, lab members are expected to complete required training, follow approved protocols, and use shared resources responsibly in accordance with lab documentation and institutional requirements.
I also value a collaborative and respectful environment. Everyone is different. We collaborate to learn, support one another, and accomplish meaningful work together. We value respect for each person’s background, culture, language, and perspective, and we aim to create an environment where people share knowledge, communicate thoughtfully, and give constructive feedback.
Before reaching out, I encourage you to:
learn about our research areas
read some of our recent publications
think about why your interests fit the lab
consider whether the lab’s working style and expectations align with yours
If you believe there may be a good match, please include:
a brief introduction about yourself
why you are interested in the lab
why you think your interests and background are a good fit
your CV
three references