Manchester: Postdoc in probabilistic machine learning and sustainability; collaboration with an outstanding sustainability team - Univ Manchester is top in the UK and Europe, and 3rd in the world in the QS World University Ranking for Sustainability. This position belongs to the European Lighthouse of AI for Sustainability ELIAS. Helsinki: Probabilistic modelling and Bayesian inference for Machine Learning, ML for drug design, synthetic biology and biodesign, with differential privacy, for personalized medicine, for next-generation distribution shifts, or for collaborative machine learning.

Thinking about the next position for your research career? I am hiring postdocs in my machine learning research group both in Helsinki, Finland and Manchester, UK. We develop new machine learning methods and study machine learning principles. Keywords include: probabilistic modelling, Bayesian inference, simulation-based inference, multi-agent RL and collaborative AI, sequential decision making and experimental design, active learning, human-in-the-loop learning and user modelling, privacy-preserving learning, Bayesian deep learning, generative models. We also solve problems of other fields with the methods – and use those problems as test benches when developing the methods. We have excellent collaborators in drug design, synthetic biology and biodesign, personalized medicine, cognitive science and human-computer interaction.

Thinking about the next position for your research career? I am hiring postdocs in my machine learning research group both in Helsinki, Finland and Manchester, UK. We develop new machine learning methods and study machine learning principles. Keywords include: probabilistic modelling, Bayesian inference, simulation-based inference, multi-agent RL and collaborative AI, sequential decision making and experimental design, active learning, human-in-the-loop learning and user modelling, privacy-preserving learning, Bayesian deep learning, generative models. We also solve problems of other fields with the methods – and use those problems as test benches when developing the methods. We have excellent collaborators in drug design, synthetic biology and biodesign, personalized medicine, cognitive science and human-computer interaction.

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) impose a global burden, affecting an increasing number of individuals. While some causative genes have been identified, understanding the human-specific mechanisms involved in these disorders remains limited. Traditional gene-driven approaches for modeling brain diseases have failed to capture the diverse and convergent mechanisms at play. Centrosomes and cilia act as intermediaries between environmental and intrinsic signals, regulating cellular behavior. Mutations or dosage variations disrupting their function have been linked to brain formation deficits, highlighting their importance, yet their precise contributions remain largely unknown. Hence, we aim to investigate whether the centrosome/cilia axis is crucial for brain development and serves as a hub for human-specific mechanisms disrupted in NDDs. Towards this direction, we first demonstrated species-specific and cell-type-specific differences in the cilia-genes expression during mouse and human corticogenesis. Then, to dissect their role, we provoked their ectopic overexpression or silencing in the developing mouse cortex or in human brain organoids. Our findings suggest that cilia genes manipulation alters both the numbers and the position of NPCs and neurons in the developing cortex. Interestingly, primary cilium morphology is disrupted, as we find changes in their length, orientation and number that lead to disruption of the apical belt and altered delamination profiles during development. Our results give insight into the role of primary cilia in human cortical development and address fundamental questions regarding the diversity and convergence of gene function in development and disease manifestation. It has the potential to uncover novel pharmacological targets, facilitate personalized medicine, and improve the lives of individuals affected by NDDs through targeted cilia-based therapies.