PhD position
16/07/2026
PhD position on AI and mobility data for targeted epidemic intervention design (AIMED)
Location: Paris, France
Institution: INSERM | Sorbonne Université Faculty of Health Sciences, Sorbonne Public Health Institute (SPH)
Host: Sorbonne Université Modeling Outbreaks Center
Supervisor: Dr. Vittoria Colizza (INSERM, Sorbonne Université), Prof. Giulia De Masi (Sorbonne Université Abu Dhabi, Sorbonne Cluster for Artificial Intelligence), Dr. Stefania Rubrichi (Orange SA)
Duration: 3 years
Expected start date: October-December 2026
Expected salary: €2,077 gross monthly salary
Position
We are seeking an outstanding PhD candidate with a strong quantitative background to work on AIMED - AI and Mobility Data for Targeted Epidemic Intervention Design, a project funded by the Île-de-France Region. Human mobility shapes how epidemics spread across space, yet public health interventions are almost always implemented according to administrative boundaries that poorly reflect real mobility patterns. During COVID-19, this mismatch often resulted in unnecessary restrictions in some areas and insufficient control in others. The AIMED project aims to transform epidemic preparedness by combining large-scale human mobility data, artificial intelligence, and epidemic modeling to identify epidemiologically meaningful spatial scales and design adaptive, spatially targeted intervention strategies. Using high-resolution anonymized mobile phone mobility data provided by Orange SA, together with epidemiological and demographic data for France, the PhD candidate will develop methods to reconstruct dynamic mobility networks, identify mobility clusters, integrate them into metapopulation epidemic models, and design AI-driven intervention strategies using multi-agent reinforcement learning. The project sits at the interface of epidemiology, network science, artificial intelligence, and data science, with direct applications to public health preparedness and response.
Candidate profile
Applicants should hold (or expect to obtain before the start of the PhD) a Master degree in applied mathematics, physics, statistics, data science, computer science, artificial intelligence or a related quantitative field.
Required skills
Research environment
The position will be hosted at the Sorbonne Université Modeling Outbreaks Center (SUMOC) at Sorbonne Université | INSERM in Paris, within the Sorbonne Public Health Institute. Established in 2025, SUMOC is a center for research and innovation in infectious disease modeling to support epidemic preparedness and response. The student will be supervised by Dr. Vittoria Colizza, founding director of SUMOC, within the EPIcx lab of the Center, and by Prof. Giulia De Masi (Sorbonne Université Abu Dhabi, Sorbonne Cluster for Artificial Intelligence), expert in network science, complex systems, and graph-based machine learning. The project will be conducted in close collaboration with Dr. Stefania Rubrichi at Orange SA, providing access to unique nationwide mobility datasets and expertise in mobility analytics. The PhD candidate will spend approximately 20% of the time at Orange, benefiting from industrial co-supervision and direct interaction with data scientists developing operational mobility indicators.
Application:
Please submit a CV, cover letter, and contact information for two references to epicx.lab @ gmail.com, specifying “Application to AIMED PhD position” in the email subject. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
PhD position on AI and mobility data for targeted epidemic intervention design (AIMED)
Location: Paris, France
Institution: INSERM | Sorbonne Université Faculty of Health Sciences, Sorbonne Public Health Institute (SPH)
Host: Sorbonne Université Modeling Outbreaks Center
Supervisor: Dr. Vittoria Colizza (INSERM, Sorbonne Université), Prof. Giulia De Masi (Sorbonne Université Abu Dhabi, Sorbonne Cluster for Artificial Intelligence), Dr. Stefania Rubrichi (Orange SA)
Duration: 3 years
Expected start date: October-December 2026
Expected salary: €2,077 gross monthly salary
Position
We are seeking an outstanding PhD candidate with a strong quantitative background to work on AIMED - AI and Mobility Data for Targeted Epidemic Intervention Design, a project funded by the Île-de-France Region. Human mobility shapes how epidemics spread across space, yet public health interventions are almost always implemented according to administrative boundaries that poorly reflect real mobility patterns. During COVID-19, this mismatch often resulted in unnecessary restrictions in some areas and insufficient control in others. The AIMED project aims to transform epidemic preparedness by combining large-scale human mobility data, artificial intelligence, and epidemic modeling to identify epidemiologically meaningful spatial scales and design adaptive, spatially targeted intervention strategies. Using high-resolution anonymized mobile phone mobility data provided by Orange SA, together with epidemiological and demographic data for France, the PhD candidate will develop methods to reconstruct dynamic mobility networks, identify mobility clusters, integrate them into metapopulation epidemic models, and design AI-driven intervention strategies using multi-agent reinforcement learning. The project sits at the interface of epidemiology, network science, artificial intelligence, and data science, with direct applications to public health preparedness and response.
Candidate profile
Applicants should hold (or expect to obtain before the start of the PhD) a Master degree in applied mathematics, physics, statistics, data science, computer science, artificial intelligence or a related quantitative field.
Required skills
- Strong background in mathematical and statistical modeling
- Excellent programming skills
- Experience in data analysis and numerical simulations
- Good knowledge of artificial intelligence / machine learning methods
- Ability to work with large datasets
- Experience with network science, graph-based methods, complex systems
- Experience in epidemic modeling
- Experience in reinforcement learning
Research environment
The position will be hosted at the Sorbonne Université Modeling Outbreaks Center (SUMOC) at Sorbonne Université | INSERM in Paris, within the Sorbonne Public Health Institute. Established in 2025, SUMOC is a center for research and innovation in infectious disease modeling to support epidemic preparedness and response. The student will be supervised by Dr. Vittoria Colizza, founding director of SUMOC, within the EPIcx lab of the Center, and by Prof. Giulia De Masi (Sorbonne Université Abu Dhabi, Sorbonne Cluster for Artificial Intelligence), expert in network science, complex systems, and graph-based machine learning. The project will be conducted in close collaboration with Dr. Stefania Rubrichi at Orange SA, providing access to unique nationwide mobility datasets and expertise in mobility analytics. The PhD candidate will spend approximately 20% of the time at Orange, benefiting from industrial co-supervision and direct interaction with data scientists developing operational mobility indicators.
Application:
Please submit a CV, cover letter, and contact information for two references to epicx.lab @ gmail.com, specifying “Application to AIMED PhD position” in the email subject. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
EPIcx lab, 27 rue Chaligny, 75012, Paris, France
INSERM - Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale
Sorbonne Université, Faculté de Santé
IPLESP UMR-S 1136, site Hôpital St Antoine
Sorbonne Université Modeling Outbreaks Center (SUMOC)
INSERM - Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale
Sorbonne Université, Faculté de Santé
IPLESP UMR-S 1136, site Hôpital St Antoine
Sorbonne Université Modeling Outbreaks Center (SUMOC)
|
|
|
|