Machine Learning and Life Science Approaches to transform Human Health

AITHYRA, the Research Institute for Biomedical Artificial Intelligence of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna will open a call for PhD students in September 2026.

At AITHYRA, we believe the future of research lies in the seamless integration of Artificial Intelligence and the Life Sciences. We are building an AI-native, closed-loop research engine where automation, computation, and intelligent agents work together to decode, model, and rewrite biological circuits.

We are looking for 

• Machine learning and AI scientists (no biological background required), and
• Life scientists (no computational background required), and
• Students with a mixed background (e.g. MDs with interest in AI and/or LS)

If you answer any of the questions below with “yes”, apply to one of our fully funded PhD positions in September:

• Are you passionate about pushing the boundaries of AI and/or life sciences to solve pressing biomedical needs and translate your findings to impact medical practice and improve healthcare?
• Are you excited to develop and apply cutting-edge machine learning (e.g. geometric deep learning, generative models, representation learning) to decode molecular physiology, pathology, and therapeutic design?
• Are you passionate about high-throughput biology and scalable experimental approaches to map biological systems or identify novel therapeutics? 
• Do you want to join an international group of highly collaborative, interdisciplinary, and successful colleagues that help you achieve your training and research goals?
• Do you want to bridge science and innovation, gaining entrepreneurship skills to translate breakthroughs into tools, therapies, or startups?

If you are enthusiastic about this intersection of AI and Life Sciences, we encourage you to apply!

The next PhD Program, together with our partners the TU Wien, Uni Wien and Meduni Wien, will start in September 2027. The goal of the PhD Program is to enable and empower AI/ML and life science students with the ability to successfully design, execute, manage and explain a research project in modern AI-driven molecular medicine, through a strongly participatory and interactive program. Plugging into an elite international ecosystem of world-class academic partners and leading research institutions, AITHYRA’s global network empowers PhD candidates to contribute to the future of biomedical AI alongside the brightest minds in computing and life sciences.

We offer

• a highly interactive introductory program in a supportive peer-group environment

• supervision by a top scientist and support of the AITHYRA Faculty 

• a PhD degree awarded by the Medical University of Vienna, the Technical University of Vienna or University of Vienna

• a dynamic and highly multidisciplinary international research environment

• full access to state-of-the-art technologies

• excellent employee benefits including full insurance coverage (health, accident, retirement), health care services, subsidized lunch

• a wide range of social, cultural, and sports activities organized by the institutes

• a generous employment contract and salary, which covers all research costs, work-related travel expenses for 4 years

• Minimum gross monthly salary of EUR 2.832,10 paid 14 times a year (following the recommendations of FWF)

You are 

• a "full-scale" thinker: You are fascinated by the integration of AI across biological scales, from the molecular level to entire biological systems, and you are excited by the prospect of working alongside robotics and automated laboratories.

• a lifelong learner: You have a solid foundation in a quantitative field (computer science, bioinformatics, mathematics, physics, etc.) and are excited to expand your horizons into the life sciences, and/or you have a solid foundation in a life science field (medicine, biology, chemistry, or a closely related field) and are eager to master computational and quantitative methods.

• a collaborative thinker: You enjoy working closely with others, communicate effectively across disciplines, and believe that impactful research thrives on teamwork and shared problem-solving.

• multidisciplinary at heart: You may have a background that doesn’t follow a traditional path; you bring a unique perspective that enriches our research community, reimagines conventional approaches, and fosters creative scientific discovery.

• skilled in the dry and/or wet lab: You are comfortable with computational modeling (dry lab) or experimental bench work (wet lab), and hold (or will hold by September 2027) a master’s degree in computer science, computational biology, bioengineering, engineering, physics, statistics, mathematics, medicine, biology, chemistry, or a related scientific or technical field.

If you are passionate about this intersection of AI and Life Sciences, we encourage you to apply!

Application deadline: 1.11.2026
Hearing dates: 27.-29.1.2027
Starting date: 1.9.2027

The research area

AITHYRA connects AI/ML with experimental life sciences and chemistry to understand and ultimately reprogram molecular mechanisms and biological systems. Our goal is to make an impact in important diseases such as cancer, immunological disorders, infectious- and neurodegenerative diseases. To reach this goal, we build on a strong foundation in geometric deep learning, generative AI, representation learning, high-throughput genetics and proteomics, molecular and cell biology, chemical biology, and organic chemical synthesis, all of which can be connected via lab automation and robotics.

The host institute

The mission of AITHYRA is to fundamentally transform biomedical science by embedding artificial intelligence as a co-pilot throughout the entire scientific process - from hypothesis generation and experimental design to biological interpretation and therapeutic innovation. Through a coherent integration of AI/ML across biological scales, the goal is to improve our understanding of the root cause of diseases, their diagnosis and the conceptualization of novel therapeutic strategies while inspiring new innovations in AI/ML. In order to create sufficient amounts of data to support AI applications, AITHYRA invests in experimental automation through a robotics laboratory infrastructure. While this research program is broadly applicable in life sciences, the focus will be on cancer, immunology, infectious diseases and neurodegenerative disorders. AITHYRA is co-led by Michael Bronstein (Scientific Director for AI), Georg Winter (Scientific Director for Life Sciences), and Anita Ender (Managing Director) and is located at the Marxbox on the Campus of the Vienna Biocenter. https://aithyra.at/

Vienna is repeatedly ranked as the world’s best city to live in and is a United Nations city with a large international, English-speaking community. The official language at AITHYRA is English, and 25 different nationalities are currently represented at the institutes.

Find more information, including a detailed timeline, application guidelines, recruiting groups on our PhD website.

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