Program Overview

Improving Bayesian Neural Network Computation Performance Applied to Health Data

Overview

This PhD project aims to transform medical AI by accelerating Bayesian Neural Networks to provide interpretable, uncertainty-aware healthcare solutions with faster, energy-efficient computational methods from Bayesian Inference.

About this Opportunity

Deep learning and artificial intelligence (AI) have promised transformative impact in the health sciences. However, these methods face significant challenges in clinical uptake, partly due to a lack of interpretability around uncertainty of their outputs. Bayesian Neural Networks (BNNs) have shown promise in offering more interpretable model outputs with associated uncertainty estimates by leveraging variational inference and other approximations. The project aims to:

• Review the existing methods and frameworks of improving Bayesian Neural Network performance
• Translate existing computational improvements in Bayesian Inference to Bayesian Neural Networks
• Explore novel optimisations of Bayesian Neural Network modelling
• Apply these methods to benchmark medical machine learning datasets to show improvements from prior methods

Study Mode and Duration

• Study mode: Full-time, Part-time
• Duration: 4 years (full-time), 6 years (part-time)

Subject Area

• Computer Science

Tuition Fees

UK Fees

• Full-time place, per year: £5,238
• Part-time place, per year: £2,619

International Fees

• Full-time place, per year: £32,200
• Part-time place, per year: £16,100

Additional Costs

Additional costs may include buying a laptop, books, or stationery. Information on general student living costs is also available.

Funding Your PhD

• Postgraduate Doctoral Loan: up to £30,301 for UK nationals or those with settled status in the UK
• Funded research opportunities and financial support from UK research councils, charities, and trusts

Scholarships and Bursaries

• Duncan Norman Research Scholarship: full payment of PhD fees and a cash bursary of £23,000 per year
• John Lennon Memorial Scholarship: up to £12,000 per year for UK students with strong family connections to Merseyside
• Sport Liverpool Performance Programme: tailored training support for athletes, including strength and conditioning training, physiotherapy sessions, and nutritional advice

Application Process

1. Contact supervisors to discuss the project and arrange an informal interview
2. Prepare application documents, including a research proposal, university transcripts, and English language certificates (if applicable)
3. Apply online, providing all required documents and information

Research Areas

The project focuses on improving the computation performance of Bayesian Neural Networks applied to health data, exploring areas such as:

• Bayesian Inference
• Variational inference
• Medical machine learning
• Healthcare solutions with uncertainty-aware outputs