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Project Code

2025_003

Start date

1 October 2026

Primary supervisor

Professor Sabine Landau

Secondary supervisor

Dr Nilesh Pareek

Topic Areas

AI, Machine Learning, and Multimodal Data, EHRs, NLP, and LLMs

Co-Funded

Yes (AstraZeneca UK)

Developing synthetic control methods to utilise patient timelines generated by the Foresight transformer for target trial emulations using electronic health records (EHRs)

Background:
Routinely collected data stored in electronic health records (EHRs) provide a powerful resource for evaluating interventions for real-world patient populations; however, internal validity is frequently impacted by confounding. The trial emulation framework proposed by Hernan and colleagues mimics a target trial using observational data and crucially requires addressing confounding bias. The recently developed Foresight transformer converts text information into timelines of events and thus might provide a convenient data format for improving confounding control.

Novelty & Importance:
Using Foresight generated timelines in trial emulation studies requires the development of statistical methodology. This project aims to develop a matching methodology for the estimation of causal treatment effects. To this end a tool/program will be developed that creates synthetic controls with similar pre-treatment timelines for comparison with treated patients, and which can be used on any EHR processed with Foresight.

Aims & Objectives:
• To extract data sets for target trial emulations from EHRs using the Foresight data generator.
• To develop statistical methodology for estimating causal effects of treatments (synthetic control matching).
• To develop exemplar target trial emulation studies using the KCL-CVD registry.

The KCL-CVD registry is a de-identified database of approximately 100,000 individuals derived from EHR data from two large university hospitals – Guy’s & St Thomas’ and King’s College Hospital between 2012 and 2022. It provides a rich resource to support research into cardiovascular diseases and their care. Case studies might include staged discontinuation of post-myocardial infarction pharmacological therapies or contemporary pharmacological therapies in heart failure.

References:
Kraljevic Z., Bean D., Sheck et al. (2024) Foresight – a generative pretrained transformer for modelling of patient timelines using electronic health records: a retrospective modelling study. Lancet Digital Health 6 (4): e282-e290. DOI: 10.1016/S2589-7500(24)00025-6
McGarvey M., Lam L.T., Razak M.A., et al. (2024) Impact of lesion morphology on stent elongation during bifurcation PCI: an in vivo OCT study. EuroIntervention 20 (18): e1184-e1194. DOI: 10.4244/EIJ-D-23-00663
Scola G., Chis-Ster A., Bean D., Pareek N., Emsley E. & Landau S. (2023) Implementation of the trial emulation approach in medical research: a scoping review, BMC Medical Research Methodology 23: 186; DOI: 10.1186/s12874-023-02000-9

We are now accepting applications for 1 October 2026

How to apply

Candidates should possess or be expected to achieve a 1st or upper 2nd class degree in a relevant subject including the biosciences, computer science, mathematics, statistics, data science, chemistry, physics, and be enthusiastic about combining their expertise with other disciplines in the field of healthcare.

Important information for International Students:

It is the responsibility of the student to apply for their Student Visa. Please note that the EPSRC DRIVE-Health studentship does not cover the visa application fees or the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) required for access to the National Health Service. The IHS is mandatory for anyone entering the UK on a Student Visa and is currently £776 per year for each year of study. Further detail can be found under the International Students tab below.

How to apply

Closing date: 12 January 2026 (23:59 hrs GMT)

Create an account with King’s Apply.

Apply to the EPSRC DRIVE-Health: Centre for Doctoral Training in Data-Driven Health MPhil/PhD (Full-time).

Please ensure you read the full information required on our Apply page, particularly relating to Personal Statement and Supporting Information.

Complete the following sections of the application with all the relevant information.

A PDF copy of your CV should be uploaded to the Employment History section.
A 500-word personal statement is required outlining your motivation for undertaking postgraduate research with the CDT, and you only need to choose one way to provide it. You can either type it directly into the application form (maximum 4,000 characters) or upload it as a separate document if you have a longer statement (maximum two pages).
Please nominate up to 3 projects of particular interest by quoting the project codes in the research proposal section of the online application form.

Funding:

Please choose Option 5 “I am applying for a funding award or scholarship administered by King’s College London” in the funding section.
Under “Award Scheme Code or Name” enter “EPSRC DRIVE-Health 2026”.

Failing to include one of these codes might result in you not being considered for funding.

Questions marked * are mandatory and you will not be able to submit without answering.

Non-EU international applicants are advised that ATAS may be required. While there is no charge to apply for ATAS, processing can take up to 3 months. Please read the Important Information for International Students.

Apply Now

Funding

Enhanced Studentships to Attract Top Talent

Each studentship is fully funded for 4 years.

This includes tuition fees, a stipend and a generous allowance for project consumables.

Tuition Fees: these will be covered for both Home and International students.

Stipend: students will receive a tax-free living allowance of £25,403.40 per year (current projection for Academic Year 2026/27).

Research Training Support Grant (RTSG): up to £20,000 over 4 years for research consumables and attending national and international conferences.

International

Important Information for International Students

It is the responsibility of the student to apply for their Student Visa.

Please note that the EPSRC DRIVE-Health studentship does not cover the visa application fees or the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) required for access to the National Health Service. The IHS is mandatory for anyone entering the UK on a Student Visa and is currently £776 per year for each year of study.

Additionally, depending on your chosen project, some nationals may need to apply for an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate prior to applying for a visa. The ATAS application process can take up to 3 months and so it is essential that you apply for this early. Please note the following:
• If you need to apply for a student visa, you cannot submit your visa application until your ATAS certificate has been issued.
• If you are applying for any other visa, you cannot enrol at King’s and start your programme unless your ATAS certificate has been issued.
• If you apply late, you may not be able to join on the expected entry point and your registration may be postponed

Please review the following article for further information on the ATAS certificate and how to apply:Do I need ATAS clearance before I start my course at King’s?

For further advice, please contact the Visas & International Student Advice as soon as possible.

Eligibilty

Academic Requirements and Eligibility

We welcome eligible Home and International applicants from any personal background who are pleased to join diverse and friendly research groups.

Open to Home and International applicants.

Applicable level of study: Postgraduate research.

English Language Requirements (Band D)
Based on the IELTS test scoring system, this programme requires that successful candidates achieve the following level of English before enrolling. Successful applicants’ offer letters will include information about when they must have achieved this standard.
Overall: 6.5
Listening: 6
Speaking: 6
Reading: 6
Writing: 6

Visit our admissions webpages to view our English language entry requirements.

Next steps

For project-specific queries, please contact the main supervisor before you submit your application.

Applications submitted by 12 January 2026 (23:59 GMT) will be considered by the EPSRC DRIVE-Health Centre for Doctoral Training. We will contact shortlisted applicants with information about the next stage of the recruitment process.

Candidates will be invited to attend an interview. Interviews are scheduled to take place in March/April 2026.

Project selection will be through a panel interview chaired by either Professor Richard Dobson or Professor Vasa Curcin (Centre Co-Directors), followed by an informal discussion with prospective supervisors.

For any other questions about the recruitment process, please email us at drive-health-cdt@kcl.ac.uk.