There is an opportunity for a funded PhD student to join the Trustworthy Generative AI in Healthcare research project, which falls within the realm of statistical machine learning, multimodal large language models, and clinical AI safety.
The project is supported by the King’s Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, and I will be jointly supervising it with Dr Yali Du, Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences. It is based in the TAIR Lab in the Centre for Oral, Clinical & Translational Sciences.
Trustworthy Generative AI PhD Funding Package
- Duration: 3 years, full-time
- Fees: Fully funded home or overseas tuition fees
- Stipend: Provided on the UKRI London stipend scale
- Dates: 1 February 2027, 1 June 2027, or 1 October 2027
- Eligibility: Available for both UK and international students
- Closing date: Continuous assessment; please apply early, as the project will be closed when an acceptable candidate is identified
- Reference number: 2026YL-TGAi-R2
What the Project Is About
The main aim here is to build AI that can be trusted by clinicians. You will create and evaluate generative and vision-language models that would work with medical images, video, and clinical data from tables in order to detect and predict diseases as well as to make decisions. Trustworthiness will be the main idea in this work. It will consist of calibrated uncertainty, robustness to distribution shift, and strong evaluation frameworks for clinical applications.
In terms of application examples, it will be used in oral healthcare, including radiography interpretation and clinical record analysis with clinicians at the Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences.
Important notice: previous domain knowledge about dentistry or medicine is not needed. It is a pure ML/AI research project.
Skills You’ll Develop from Trustworthy Generative AI PhD
- Machine learning statistics fundamentals and applications
- Multimodal and generative model training and testing
- Uncertainty quantification for high-consequence artificial intelligence applications
- Three-dimensional medical image analysis
- Communications in research
- Collaborative research with clinical partners
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Who We’re Looking For
- Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Statistics, Mathematics, Physics, or a relevant field (1st or good 2nd class honours or equivalent)
- Prior experience and/or published work in areas like machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing, or uncertainty quantification
- Prior experience in training or fine-tuning large language models, vision-language models, or diffusion models would be preferred
- Interest and motivation in pursuing academic research
How to Apply for PhD in Trustworthy Generative AI
We strongly recommend contacting the supervisors before applying to discuss the project and make sure it’s the right fit.
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Register or log in at apply.kcl.ac.uk
- Choose Create a New Application
- Select ‘Dental & Health Sciences Research MPhil/PhD (Full-time)’ as your program. Verify the Mode of Study
- Choose your desired starting date from the Entry Requirements Page
- Insert reference number 2026YL-TGAi-R2 in the ‘Research Proposal’ field
Contact the supervisors for the PhD in trustworthy generative AI:
Dr Yunpeng Li — [email protected]
Dr Yali Du — [email protected]
Do you know someone who is completing their studies in ML, statistics, or engineering and is interested in making AI work in the real world, rather than simply benchmarking? Tag them below or spread this around.
FAQ: Trustworthy Generative AI in Healthcare PhD
Do I need a background in dentistry or medicine to apply for trustworthy generative AI?
No. This is an AI/machine learning research project, and the grounding in medicine would be achieved through collaboration with clinicians from the Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, rather than previous knowledge about the field.
What academic background do I need for the PhD in trustworthy generative AI?
This requires that you have a bachelor’s degree in either computer science, electrical engineering, statistics, mathematics, physics, or any other related discipline with either a first-class or upper second-class honours degree.
Is prior publication experience required for the PhD in trustworthy generative AI?
Experience and research publications in machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing, or uncertainty quantification are required. Experience in training or fine-tuning large language models, vision-language models, or diffusion models is preferred, although not explicitly required. Please ask the supervisors in case you are unsure about your experience.
Is PhD in trustworthy generative AI open to international applicants?
Yes. It is open to applications from UK (home) and international candidates, and tuition fees will be paid either at the home or international level, depending on the candidate’s eligibility.
What does PhD in trustworthy generative AI funding actually cover?
Three years of tuition fees (home or international) and a stipend at the UKRI London rate, supported by the Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, King’s College.
When can I start?
The three possible starting dates include February 1, 2027, June 1, 2027, or October 1, 2027.
What’s the application deadline?
However, there is no specific deadline, as applications are processed on a continuous basis until a suitable candidate is found. It is highly recommended to apply as early as possible since this position may be closed as soon as the right candidate is found.
Where will I be based, and who will supervise me?
This project will be hosted at the Translational AI Research (TAIR) Lab of the Centre for Oral, Clinical & Translational Sciences under the supervision of Dr. Yunpeng Li and Dr. Yali Du, with potential access to additional King’s facilities, such as the Department of Informatics in the Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences.
Should I contact the supervisors before applying for PhD in Trustworthy Generative AI?
Indeed, this is highly recommended. Contact either Dr Yunpeng Li ([email protected]) or Dr Yali Du ([email protected]) to find out whether this is suitable for you.
How do I apply for the PhD in Trustworthy Generative AI?
To apply to KCL, visit apply.kcl.ac.uk, make a new application, add “Dental and Health Sciences Research MPhil/PhD (Full-time)” as your course of study, choose a starting date, and add reference number 2026YL-TGAi-R2 under the “Research proposal
What will I actually be researching?
You will design and assess models that integrate imaging, video, and medical data in the context of disease detection and decision-making with an emphasis on uncertainty calibration, robustness, and methodologies that are appropriate for clinical settings.
What skills will I gain from this PhD in Trustworthy Generative AI?
Foundations of statistical machine learning, multimodal and generative modeling training and assessment, uncertainty quantification, three-dimensional medical imaging analysis, and interdisciplinary scientific communication working together with clinicians.
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