Diffusion/LLM Powered Generative AI with Healthcare Application
Project Details
Co-supervisors: Dr Yunpeng Li and Dr Ayan Das of the Translational AI Research Lab
Duration: 3.5 years from either 01 October 2026 or 01 February 2027
Mode of study: Full-time
Funding: This studentship is funded by Horizon Europe. Fees at the home rate will be covered by the funder. A stipend will be paid at the UKRI rate.
Eligibility: Home / Overseas. Overseas applicants will need to cover the difference between home and overseas fees themselves.
Application deadline: Saturday 15 August 2026. Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis, so do apply early.
Reference number: 2026/08YL
Project Description
We are recruiting for a PhD candidate to join our team working at the forefront of large language models (LLMs), diffusion models, and generative AI. The successful candidate will develop novel architectures, training strategies, and evaluation frameworks for foundation models, with applications spanning but not restricted to scientific and biomedical domains.
You will explore cutting-edge topics such as multimodal learning, controllable generation, reasoning, efficient fine-tuning and inference. The research may involve building and analysing generative models for structured data, text, images, or scientific sequences, as well as investigating how these models can support discovery and decision-making in complex, high-stakes environments.
As part of our broader research portfolio, you will also have the opportunity to contribute to an interdisciplinary Horizon Europe project focused on AI-driven biomanufacturing. This offers a unique setting to translate generative AI methods into real-world scientific workflows, working alongside biologists, clinicians, and engineers. Domain knowledge of such specific applications isn’t mandatory.
We welcome applicants with strong backgrounds in machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, computer vision, or related fields. Experience with training or fine-tuning LLMs or diffusion models, working with large-scale datasets, and scientific programming is highly desirable.
This position offers an excellent environment for academic growth, international collaboration, and impactful research at the interface of AI and science.
Person Specification
- Undergraduate or MSci/MSc degree in Computer Science, Electrical or related fields.
- Previous experience in (one or more of) Generative AI, Machine Learning, Software Engineering.
- Interest and motivation in academic research.
- Interest in developing as an independent researcher.
To view entry requirements and further course information, see the Dental and Health Sciences Research MPhil/PhD.
Next Steps
How to apply
Please apply online at apply.kcl.ac.uk following these steps:
- Register a new account/login
- Once logged in, select Create a new application
- Enter ‘Dental and Health Sciences Research MPhil/PhD (Full-time)’ under Choose a programme. Please ensure you select the correct mode of study
- Select a start date from the list under Entry requirements on this webpage
Please note: Applicants must include the project reference number 2026/08YL in the 'Research proposal' section of the application.
Contact for Further Information
Dr Ayan Das
ayan.das@kcl.ac.uk
Dr Yunpeng Li
yunpeng.li@kcl.ac.uk
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