PhD student NeoBAIT project

Developing a Digital Decision Support Tool for End-of-Life Decisions in Neonatal Care (NeoBAIT study)

Job description

End-of-life decisions for severely ill newborns are among the most challenging and morally laden decisions in neonatal care. When survival chances are minimal or the outlook is bleak, parents and healthcare professionals must decide whether to continue burdensome ICU treatment or commence palliative care. These decisions require extensive discussions, but the factors influencing these decisions are often unclear, complicating shared decision-making.

This PhD project aims to investigate how Behavioural Artificial Intelligence Technology (BAIT) can assist in these critical decisions. The goal is to develop a digital decision support tool that facilitates transparent communication between parents and healthcare providers while addressing the legal and ethical aspects of its implementation.

This project is funded by the Palliantie Program of ZonMW (The Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development).

Your PhD Project

In this interdisciplinary project, you will:

• Identify key factors involved in end-of-life decision-making through a Delphi procedure with neonatologists and other stakeholders.
• Design and conduct a choice experiment to analyze how healthcare professionals make end-of-life decisions in fictitious cases.
• Collaborate with technical partners to develop a BAIT-based digital decision support tool that offers insights into how similar cases are typically approached.• Evaluate the ethical and - legal implications of using such a tool in neonatal care.
• Work closely with neonatologists, patient associations, and industry partners to ensure that the tool aligns with clinical and parental needs.

Your Tasks

• Collaborate with a multidisciplinary project team, including neonatologists, patient-organisation, ethicists, and AI developers.
• Lead the Delphi study.
• Conduct systematic literature review(s), empirical studies, and data analysis.
• Publish your findings in international peer-reviewed journals and present them at conferences.
• Contribute to the development of the decision support tool and ensure its ethical and practical alignment with clinical use.

Working environment

This position is part of a collaborative project involving all Dutch NICUs, a TU spin-off company specializing in BAIT models, and the patient association Care4Neo. The position is supervised by Dr Elisabeth Kooi at the division of Neonatology at the Beatrix Children’s Hospital of the UMCG. The research will be conducted in a stimulating interdisciplinary environment amongst other (PhD) students, leveraging expertise from neonatology, ethics, and artificial intelligence.

The University of Groningen is a research university with a global outlook, deeply rooted in Groningen, City of Talent. Quality has had top priority for four hundred years. The Faculty of Medical Sciences is the second oldest medical faculty in The Netherlands. The position will be embedded in the division of Neonatology at the Beatrix Children’s Hospital of the UMCG. The Neonatal Care for Sustainable Health research line at the Beatrix Children’s Hospital focuses on improving survival and long-term outcomes for sick newborns by addressing developmental and health complications. It identifies key maternal, fetal, and neonatal risk factors, uses advanced non-invasive diagnostic tools, and conducts follow-up studies into adolescence to monitor growth and neurodevelopment. By integrating clinical and translational research with ethical dilemmas, the program aims to uncover disease mechanisms and promote sustainable health for vulnerable neonates. The research team for the NeoBAIT study consists of Dr EMW Kooi, Prof AAE Verhagen, Dr ELM Maeckelberghe and Prof JBF Hulscher, and associated colleagues.

What do we need

We are looking for an enthusiastic candidate with:

• A (research) Master’s degree in Medicine, Biomedical Sciences, Artificial Intelligence, Health Sciences, Ethics, or a related discipline.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and social skills, with an interest in empirical research and (learning) data analysis (e.g., R, Python) and AI.
• Affinity for ethical and legal aspects of healthcare innovation.
• Good academic writing, conversation, and presentation skills in Dutch and English.
• The ability to work in a multidisciplinary team and engage with various stakeholders.

What do we offer

• A full-time PhD position for three years to be concluded with a PhD examination. After one year, the performance will be evaluated to decide whether there is sufficient progress to expect a successful completion of the PhD thesis within the coming two years.
• Salary a minimum of € 3.017,- gross per month in the first year and a maximum of € 3.824,- gross per month (scale PhD) in the final year, based on a full-time appointment (36 hours a week). If the PhD candidate is already a basic doctor, the starting scale is 10.2, ranging from € 3.824 (10.2) to € 4.354 (10.5). In addition, the UMCG will offer you 8% holiday pay, and 8.3% end-of-year bonus. The conditions of employment comply with the Collective Labour Agreement for Medical Centres (CAO-UMC).
• Attractive secondary terms of employment.