Postdoctoral Fellows and Assistant Scientists – AI-Enabled Immune Digital Twins for Critical Illness
Indiana University Bloomington | Bloomington, Indiana
How can we infer the changing state of a critically ill patient’s immune system—and predict which intervention could help—when measurements are incomplete, noisy, and intermittent? We are recruiting postdoctoral fellows and assistant scientists at Indiana University Bloomington to help tackle this challenge as part of a national consortium led by Novelna, Inc., within the ARPA-H CIRCLE program. Bringing together expertise in immunology, critical care, biosensing, mechanistic modeling, and AI, the consortium aims to build patient-specific immune digital twins that can anticipate deterioration and guide treatment before immune dysfunction leads to irreversible organ damage. These positions offer an opportunity to develop new mathematics, computational methods, and scientific software while working with experimental and clinical collaborators toward a concrete goal: improving care for critically ill patients.
Successful candidates will work under the direction of Professor James Glazier at Indiana University’s Biocomplexity Institute and collaborate with researchers across the consortium. The project combines mechanistic modeling, patient data assimilation, model ensembles, uncertainty quantification, and AI methods to estimate immune states, forecast patient trajectories, and evaluate potential therapeutic interventions.
We seek candidates for two complementary research areas:
1. Mechanistic Modeling of Immune Dynamics and Organ Injury
Develop and extend models connecting immune responses to tissue injury and organ dysfunction, including lung, kidney, and liver injury. Research includes identifying state variables and mechanisms, coupling models across biological scales, and assessing the biological plausibility and predictive performance of models developed or refined using AI methods.
Relevant backgrounds include mathematical and computational biology, systems biology, immunology, applied mathematics, biomedical engineering, and biophysics. Experience with mechanistic modeling—including ordinary differential equations, biological networks, stochastic processes, or agent-based models—is particularly valuable.
Apply online:
2. Data Assimilation, Model Ensembles, and Digital Twin Workflows
Develop computational methods and reproducible scientific software that update patient-specific model ensembles as new measurements become available. Research includes state and parameter estimation, uncertainty propagation, comparison and updating of alternative model structures, and integration of mechanistic modeling with AI methods. A central challenge is connecting rapid patient-specific inference with longer-term refinement of the underlying models.
Relevant backgrounds include scientific computing, applied mathematics, computer science, data science, and computational biology. Strong programming skills—for example, in Python or Julia—are valuable. Experience in data assimilation, inverse problems, Bayesian inference, uncertainty quantification, numerical methods, or scientific software development is particularly relevant.
Apply online:
Research Environment and Qualifications
Successful candidates will join a collaborative research environment connecting computational and quantitative sciences, immunology, and critical care. Responsibilities can be adapted to candidates’ strengths, with opportunities to contribute across both research areas.
Candidates should hold a Ph.D. in a relevant discipline or meet the equivalent qualifications specified in the applicable posting. Applicants with strong quantitative and computational foundations are encouraged to apply even if their experience does not cover every aspect of the project. Prior experience in immunology is welcome but is not required for every position.
Compensation
Anticipated annual salaries are approximately $70,000 for Postdoctoral Fellows and $100,000 for Assistant Scientists, depending on qualifications and experience.
Applications and Inquiries
Applications must be submitted online through the Indiana University links above, following the instructions in the applicable posting. Candidates interested in both research areas are welcome to indicate this in their application.
For questions about the positions, contact James Glazier at jaglazier@gmail.com, copying Ellen Quardokus at ellenmq@iu.edu, who is coordinating the search.
For further information about the program, see the ARPA-H CIRCLE press release.
