Doctoral Candidate (DC8) – JustHealth Project

Building a Decolonized Ethics and Governance Framework for Just and Trustworthy AI in Healthcare

Host institution: University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa
Funding programme: Horizon Europe – Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network (MSCA-DN)
Contract type: Full-time, fixed-term (36 months)
Application deadline: [31 Jan 2026]
Expected start date: [1 August 2026]

Position Summary

The JustHealth Doctoral Network brings together leading universities and research institutes across Europe, Africa, and the USA to develop a decolonized ethics and governance framework for socially just and trustworthy Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare.

Doctoral Candidate 8 (DC8) will be based at the University of Cape Town and will focus on AI-assisted screening for Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD)—a leading cause of heart disease in children and young adults across the Global South. The successful candidate will co-design, test, and validate equitable and scalable pathways for AI-enabled RHD detection using handheld echocardiography and digital stethoscopes (phonocardiography, PCG).

Key Objective

To develop, test, validate, and valorise a reliable, scalable and just care pathway, embedding Foundation Model (FM)-based technology for the screening and staging of RHD.

Key Responsibilities

  • Conduct research on clinical gaps, equity barriers, and ethical challenges in AI-driven RHD care.

  • Develop and validate data collection methods using handheld echocardiography and PCG.

  • Collaborate with AI engineers to evaluate fine-tuned foundation models for RHD detection.

  • Co-create and assess a sustainable, scalable, and socially just care pathway for community-level RHD screening.

  • Analyse transferability of AI-based tools and frameworks to other cardiovascular diseases, provide insights for standardisation from the clinical perspective.

  • Disseminate results through scientific publications, conferences, and stakeholder workshops.

Training & Development

The position forms part of an internationally networked doctoral programme. DC8 will receive interdisciplinary training across ethics, AI, and clinical sciences, and will participate in:

  • Summer Schools on Decolonized, Just and Trustworthy AI in Healthcare.

  • Workshops on digital governance, explainability, and equitable AI design.

  • Major conferences such as the Pan-African Society of Cardiology and European Society of Cardiology Congresses.

Planned Secondments:

  • KU Leuven (Belgium): Training in foundation model architecture and cardiovascular imaging (Prof. Bart Vanrumste, Dr. Jens-Uwe Voigt).

  • PathCheck Foundation (USA): Exposure to global digital health implementation and scalability strategies (Dr. Kingsley).

Expected Outcomes

  • A validated AI-enhanced handheld echo and PCG data collection protocol for RHD screening.

  • Annotated multimodal datasets for RHD detection and staging.

  • A sustainable, scalable, and just RHD care pathway for low-resource settings.

  • Clinical and governance recommendations for global health standardisation.

Eligibility & Requirements

  • Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Medicine and Medical Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, or related disciplines.

  • Strong interest or background in internal medicine, cardiology, echocardiography, AI, or digital health.

  • Experience in and previous work in Rheumatic Heart Disease

  • Excellent English communication and writing skills.

  • Ability to work in interdisciplinary and international teams.

  • Willingness to undertake transnational mobility and fieldwork.

Advantageous:

  • HPCSA accreditation

 

MSCA Mobility Rule: Applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work or study) in South Africa for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the recruitment date.

What We Offer

  • Fully funded PhD under the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie programme.

  • Exposure to clinical cardiology training including echocardiography.

  • Attractive salary package compliant with MSCA-DN standards (including mobility and family allowances).

  • Access to world-class research infrastructure at UCT and partner institutions.

  • Comprehensive international and intersectoral training opportunities.

  • Active mentoring by Prof. Liesl Zühlke (UCT) and a multidisciplinary supervisory team.

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted in English and include the following:

  • Curriculum Vitae (Europass format) highlighting international experience and research outputs.

  • Motivation letter describing your interest in the JustHealth project and fit for DC8.

  • Two academic reference letters.

  • Degree certificates and academic transcripts.

  • Proof of English proficiency.

  • Copy of passport or ID.

  • Declaration of Honour (available on the JustHealth project website: LINK).

Submit applications to: liesl.zuhlke@uct.ac.za
Deadline: 31 Jan 2026

Click here to apply

About the JustHealth Project

JustHealth (Grant No. 101227352) is an MSCA Doctoral Network uniting 8 doctoral candidates across Europe and Africa to explore how AI can be developed and deployed ethically, inclusively, and justly in healthcare. The project combines expertise from Maastricht University, KU Leuven, University of Macerata, University of Cape Town, and PathCheck Foundation to co-create a Decolonized Ethics and Governance Framework for AI in Healthcare.
More information: https://justhealth-project.eu

Host Institution

University of Cape Town (UCT)
Faculty of health Sciences University of Cape Town
Supervisor: Prof. Liesl Zühlke, 
Contact for queries: liesl.zuhlke@uct.ac.za

UCT is a designated employer and is committed to the pursuit of excellence, diversity and redress in achieving its equity targets in accordance with the Employment Equity Plan of the University and its Employment Equity goals and targets. Preference will be given to candidates from the under-represented designated groups. Our Employment Equity Policy is available at https://uct.ac.za/media/9482.

UCT reserves the right not to appoint.