The Alaa Lab at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) and UCSF is recruiting PhD students for Fall 2027. The multidisciplinary research lab welcomes prospective doctoral students interested in the intersection of artificial intelligence, computer science, statistics and healthcare.
The lab is led by Ahmed Alaa and brings together researchers working on computational approaches to healthcare and medical research. Applicants with strong backgrounds in computer science, statistics or related computational disciplines are particularly encouraged to apply.
PhD Recruitment for Fall 2027
The Alaa Lab is accepting prospective PhD students who wish to begin their doctoral studies in Fall 2027.
Applicants can seek admission through one of several UC Berkeley graduate programmes:
- Computational Precision Health
- Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences (EECS), AI-H track
- Statistics
Applicants interested in joining the Alaa Lab are encouraged to list Ahmed Alaa as one of their preferred advisers when applying through the relevant programme.
The lab receives a high volume of enquiries about PhD admissions and cannot respond to every prospective applicant. Consequently, applying through one of the relevant UC Berkeley programmes is identified as the most reliable route for being considered.
Who Should Apply?
The lab has a multidisciplinary research environment, but many of its PhD students have strong computational backgrounds.
Applicants with experience in the following areas may be particularly relevant:
- Computer science
- Statistics
- Artificial intelligence
- Machine learning
- Computational research
- Healthcare technology
- Medical research
Prior experience in applied health or medical research is an advantage but is not required.
The lab also welcomes applicants from clinical backgrounds who are interested in using generative AI for specific clinical workflows. Such students may have opportunities to be co-advised by faculty members at UCSF.
What Does the Lab Look For?
The Alaa Lab places particular emphasis on applicants who demonstrate independence and motivation.
The lab states that it looks for independent thinkers who are highly self-motivated, partly because many of its research projects are driven by students.
Prospective applicants should therefore be prepared to demonstrate:
- Strong analytical and computational skills.
- Independent research thinking.
- Motivation to pursue doctoral-level research.
- Interest in AI and healthcare research.
- The ability to formulate meaningful research questions.
- Relevant academic, research or technical experience.
Applicants do not necessarily need to have previously worked in healthcare or medical research if they have a strong computational foundation.
Research Areas
The multidisciplinary nature of the Alaa Lab provides opportunities to explore research at the intersection of technology and healthcare.
Potential areas of interest include:
- Artificial intelligence
- Machine learning
- Generative AI
- Computational healthcare
- Precision health
- Medical research
- Statistics
- Healthcare applications of AI
- Clinical workflows
- Computer science
The lab also collaborates with researchers and PhD students across UC Berkeley EECS and Statistics, as well as with researchers at UCSF.
How to Express Interest
Prospective PhD applicants are encouraged to complete the lab’s interest form in addition to applying through the appropriate UC Berkeley graduate programme.
The interest form allows prospective students to indicate their interest in joining the lab for Fall 2027.
However, completion of the interest form should not be treated as a substitute for the formal graduate-school application. Applicants should follow the admissions process of the specific programme through which they are applying.
Other Research Opportunities
The Alaa Lab also provides opportunities for researchers at different stages of their careers.
Postdoctoral scholars: Final-year PhD students in computer science who are interested in a postdoctoral position can contact Ahmed with a CV, current research interests and a description of their future research vision. The lab generally considers postdoctoral researchers who intend to pursue faculty careers.
Current PhD students: Students from UC Berkeley EECS and Statistics can contact Ahmed if they are interested in collaborating on healthcare research. Students from UCSF or other Berkeley departments are encouraged to approach the lab with a specific research question or potential collaboration.
Undergraduate researchers: UC Berkeley undergraduates interested in research are encouraged to apply through the Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (URAP) when a relevant project is posted.
How to Strengthen a PhD Application
Prospective applicants should carefully identify the research questions they want to explore and explain how their computational background could contribute to healthcare research.
Applicants can strengthen their preparation by:
- Developing strong skills in computer science, statistics or machine learning.
- Building research experience through projects, internships or academic work.
- Demonstrating independent problem-solving ability.
- Clearly explaining their research interests and long-term goals.
- Identifying specific healthcare or AI research questions of interest.
- Reviewing the Alaa Lab’s publications and software to understand its research direction.
- Selecting an appropriate UC Berkeley graduate programme based on their academic background.
A specific and well-developed research interest may also help prospective students communicate more effectively with the lab.
Key Details
Opportunity: PhD Research Positions
Institution: University of California, Berkeley / Alaa Lab
Collaborating institution: UCSF
Intake: Fall 2027
Fields: Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Statistics, Computational Health and Medical Research
Study level: PhD
Application routes: Computational Precision Health, UC Berkeley EECS AI-H Track, or Statistics
Prior healthcare research: Advantageous but not required
Interest form: Available through the Alaa Lab website
Application deadline: Applicants should check the relevant UC Berkeley programme for its official Fall 2027 deadline.
How to Apply
Applicants should first identify the UC Berkeley programme most closely aligned with their academic and research background. Applications can be submitted through Computational Precision Health, EECS (AI-H track), or Statistics.
Prospective students interested specifically in joining the Alaa Lab should list Ahmed Alaa as a preferred adviser where the programme permits this and complete the lab’s interest form.
Applicants should also review the official admissions requirements of their selected programme because admission to the graduate programme and consideration by the lab are part of the broader application process.
Prospective applicants should review the latest admissions requirements and programme deadlines before submitting an application.
