Assistant / Associate Professor of Surgery - VITAL Lab (AI & Aortic Surgery Research)

Vital Lab Development & Leadership

• Lead the end-to-end buildout of the VITAL Lab, including infrastructure, governance, and research roadmap
• Develop a world-class AI research ecosystem aligned with Baylor Medicine's strategic priorities in vascular and aortic care
• Oversee utilization of a $14M grant portfolio, ensuring execution against milestones, deliverables, and reporting requirements
• Establish partnerships across surgery, radiology, cardiology, and computational sciences

AI & Data Platform Development

• Design and deploy scalable AI pipelines for imaging, clinical, and genomic data
• Lead development of a large-scale, high-quality aortic research database (imaging repository, clinical registry, biobank integration)
• Implement machine learning, deep learning, and computer vision models for:
• Aortic disease detection and classification
• Surgical planning and simulation, including digital twin creation and computational fluid dynamic analysis
• Outcomes prediction and risk stratification
• Drive AI model deployment and real-world clinical integration

Research & Academic Contributions

• Lead high-impact peer-reviewed publications in top-tier journals
• Develop and submit extramural grant proposals (NIH, NSF, DoD, industry partnerships)
• Present research at national and international conferences
• Establish the VITAL Lab as a global leader in AI-driven aortic surgery research

Clinical & Translational Collaboration

• Collaborate closely with vascular and aortic surgeons to translate clinical needs into AI solutions
• Integrate AI tools into clinical workflows and surgical decision-making
• Support the development of next-generation clinical trials leveraging AI insights

Education & Mentorship

• Mentor trainees including PhD students, residents, fellows, and research staff
• Develop educational programming in AI for surgery and translational data science

Minimum Qualifications

• PhD in Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering, Data Science, or related field
• Demonstrated expertise in machine learning, deep learning, and AI system development
• Proven track record of peer-reviewed publications and research impact
• Experience building or contributing to large-scale research datasets or platforms

Preferred qualifications

• Prior experience in cardiovascular disease research
• Experience working in academic medical centers or translational research environments
• Demonstrated success in AI deployment
• Experience managing large research programs, labs, or grant-funded initiatives
• Proficiency in medical imaging analysis (CT, MRI, 3D reconstruction)
• Familiarity with regulatory frameworks (HIPAA, data governance, IRB)