Missions

• You will contribute to the development of LifeGuard AI, an award-winning project from the CNRS Innovation competition.
• The goal is to build a virtual medical assistant for assessing and preventing suicide risk.
• Your mission will be to design, train, and optimize artificial intelligence models (machine learning, deep learning, NLP) to predict suicide risk, and to integrate various modules (questionnaires, Suicide-IAT test) into an application that fully complies with technical and regulatory standards (GDPR, HDS).

Activities

• Set up and configure the project's technical environment (HDS-certified cloud infrastructure, AI workstation, development laptop).
• Develop and train the virtual medical assistant capable of conducting a guided psychological consultation.
• Design, optimize, and deploy predictive models to estimate suicide risk.
• Implement a secure prediction API connected to the virtual agent.
• Integrate and adapt existing components (questionnaires, Suicide-IAT test).
• Document, test, and deploy a first functional version (MVP) of the application.
• Work directly with the project leader (Prof. Armand Chatard).

Skills

• Master's degree, engineering degree, or PhD in Computer Science, Artificial
• Intelligence, Data Science, or a related field.
• Excellent command of Python and major AI frameworks (PyTorch, Scikit-learn, Hugging Face).
• Hands-on experience with GPU computing (CUDA) and cloud platforms (OVH, AWS, GCP).
• Familiarity with DevOps tools and practices (Docker, Git, CI/CD); knowledge of data security and GDPR is a strong asset.
• Strong sense of autonomy and rigor, with the ability to produce clear documentation and collaborate directly with a principal investigator.
• Highly motivated, curious, and eager to contribute to a project with significant clinical and societal impact.

Work Context

• The LifeGuard AI project has been awarded funding (€150k) in the CNRS Innovation competition. It is led by Prof. Armand Chatard within the CoCliCo team (Cognition, Clinical, and Behavior, CeRCA UMR 7295 – University of Poitiers).
• The recruited engineer will work primarily at the University of Poitiers, with the possibility of partial remote work. The technical environment includes a high-end AI workstation, a development laptop, and access to cloud GPUs for intensive computing.
• CeRCA is a Joint Research Unit of the University of Poitiers, the University of Tours, and the CNRS. It includes around 50 permanent members (CNRS researchers, faculty members, technical and administrative staff) and 40 contractual members (PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, temporary lecturers, adjuncts). CeRCA members are mainly based at the Maison des Sciences de l'Homme et de la Société (MSHS) in Poitiers and at the Tanneurs campus of the University of Tours, but also at the Department of Psychology and the Henri Laborit Hospital in Poitiers.
• The work will take place mainly at CeRCA's facilities within the MSHS in Poitiers. A shared office space and high-performance IT equipment will be provided. Occasional travel may be required for project meetings or collaborations.
• The MSHS is accessible from downtown Poitiers by public transport and via recently developed cycle paths. The building includes a common room with a kitchenette, and a university restaurant is located nearby.
• Employment also grants access to the services of the CNRS Local Social Action Committee (CLAS).

Constraints and risks

• Strict compliance with security and regulatory standards (GDPR, certified health data hosting).
• Management of highly sensitive mental health data, requiring both ethical awareness and technical rigor.
• Work aligned with tight deadlines set by an 18-month funding schedule.
• Intense development phases during the design, training, and deployment of AI models.

Additional Information

For any additional information regarding this position, please contact Prof. Armand Chatard directly at armand.chatard@univ-poitiers.fr