Research Associate – Surgical Vision and AI
Imperial College London
London, United Kingdom (South Kensington Campus, hybrid with clinical research activity at associated hospital sites)
Imperial College London is seeking a Research Associate to join a cutting-edge programme in Surgical Vision and Artificial Intelligence (AI), focusing on the development of advanced mixed reality technologies for intraoperative surgical guidance. The role is based within the Hamlyn Centre and the Department of Surgery & Cancer, contributing to a major research initiative funded by the NIHR i4i programme under the HOLO-AIM project.
The project aims to develop an AI-powered mixed reality surgical guidance system designed to improve surgical precision, safety, and efficiency. The technology supports real-time navigation during complex surgical procedures by integrating computer vision and AI-driven holographic registration systems.
The successful candidate will work on developing systems that enable real-time 3D reconstruction of surgical scenes and markerless registration of holographic models with intraoperative environments. The work is intended to de-risk the technology for progression toward first-in-human feasibility trials and subsequent clinical validation.
Research will be conducted in a highly interdisciplinary environment, with collaboration between academic teams at Imperial College London and clinical partners, including hospital-based surgical research settings. The project focuses initially on applications in breast and melanoma surgery, with broader applicability to other surgical domains anticipated.
The role is full-time and fixed-term, supporting high-impact translational research at the intersection of artificial intelligence, computer vision, and surgical innovation.
[Eligibility Criteria]
Applicants should hold or be close to completing a PhD in a relevant field such as computer science, biomedical engineering, surgical engineering, or a closely related discipline. Experience in AI, machine learning, computer vision, or medical image analysis is expected. Prior exposure to clinical data or medical applications is advantageous. Candidates must demonstrate the ability to contribute to collaborative, multidisciplinary research in a fast-paced academic and clinical environment.
[Required expertise/skills]
Strong programming skills in languages such as Python and C++ are required.
Experience in machine learning and artificial intelligence methods is essential.
Expertise in computer vision and/or medical image analysis is highly desirable.
Familiarity with real-time 3D reconstruction, image registration techniques, and multimodal data integration is advantageous.
Strong analytical thinking, problem-solving ability, and experience working with complex datasets are expected.
Excellent communication skills and the ability to work effectively within multidisciplinary research teams are required.
Salary details
£49,017 – £50,893 per annum (Research Associate grade)
Application Deadline
Closing date: 15 June 2026