New head of the Institute for Medical Date Science at Magdeburg University Hospital
The Faculty of Medicine at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg is pleased to announce the appointment of Prof Dr Julian Varghese to the W3 professorship for Medical Data Science. The 39-year-old is a proven expert in the field of medical informatics and will take up his new position as Director of the Institute for Medical Data Science (formerly IBMI) on 1 April 2025. With his impressive academic career and innovative research approach, he will make a significant contribution to the further development of medical informatics in Magdeburg.
Photo: Prof Dr Julian Varghese is the new Head of the Institute for Medical Data Science at Magdeburg University Hospital. Photo: University Hospital Münster
Prof Dr Varghese studied human medicine at the University of Münster and computer science at the University of Hagen. After completing a Master's degree in Computing and Artificial Intelligence at Imperial College London, he obtained his doctorate in Medical Informatics at the University of Münster in 2015. His habilitation in 2020 was dedicated to the topic of ‘Semantic analyses and decision support systems in medicine’. He has received several awards for his work from the German (GMDS) and European Society for Medical Informatics (EFMI). In 2021 he was W2 Professor and in 2024 W3 Professor of Medical Informatics at the University of Münster, where he was acting director of the Institute of Medical Informatics.
In his research, Prof Varghese focuses on clinical decision support systems with machine learning and research data infrastructures in medicine. In recent years, he has successfully expanded the data integration centre in Münster and, together with ophthalmologist Prof. Nicole Eter, coordinates the nationwide EyeMatics consortium, in which medical informatics methods are used to analyse injections in the eye. Through his dedicated teaching activities, including as head of the GMDS working group ‘MI Teaching in Medicine’, he makes a significant contribution to the further development of medical informatics teaching in medicine throughout Germany.
Scientific focus and interdisciplinary expertise
In addition to the Institute's existing areas of specialisation, the establishment of an additional focus in the field of artificial intelligence and bioinformatics is a special feature of his appointment. ‘This will enable us to support both basic scientists and clinical researchers across the entire faculty in analysing large data sets with state-of-the-art pattern recognition. At the same time, established topics such as clinical data management, medical informatics and biometrics will remain central methodological disciplines in medicine,’ says Prof Varghese.
His outstanding scientific qualifications, his extensive teaching experience and his visionary concept for the further development of medical informatics convinced the appointment committee in every respect. His contribution to the integration of medical informatics into clinical research and his strategic plans for the expansion of research data infrastructures were particularly appreciated.
Prof Dr Varghese expressed his enthusiasm for his new role: ‘I am very much looking forward to the exciting challenge at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg. Together with my new colleagues, we will offer the disciplines of biometrics, medical informatics and bioinformatics for research and teaching in a highly interdisciplinary team at the new institute. This close integration will make the institute a central point of contact for the entire faculty for questions relating to data management and medical data science.’
With Prof Dr Varghese, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg is gaining an outstanding academic personality who will significantly advance medical research and teaching at the location through his interdisciplinary orientation and innovative strength. The faculty welcomes him warmly and looks forward to working with him in the future.
About Person
Professor Dr Julian Varghese, born in 1986, was born in Bielefeld. After studying medicine at the University of Münster, he also completed a degree in computer science at the University of Hagen. He received his Master's degree in Computing and Artificial Intelligence from Imperial College London in 2013. In 2015, he completed his doctorate at the University of Münster with a thesis on semantic analyses in clinical studies. After working as a research assistant and research group leader at the Institute of Medical Informatics in Münster, he habilitated in medical informatics in 2020. In 2021, he took up a W2 professorship there and was appointed W3 professor in 2024. His research focuses on the development of AI-supported clinical decision support systems and research data infrastructures in medicine. Thanks to his many years of experience in setting up data integration centres and acquiring third-party funding, he has established himself as a leading expert in this field.
Background
In order to obtain a professorship at a university in Saxony-Anhalt, an appointment procedure must be carried out in accordance with Section 36 of the Higher Education Act of the State of Saxony-Anhalt (HSG LSA). Suitable candidates undergo an extensive procedure. An appointment committee made up of several experts assesses the candidate's performance in research, teaching and patient care.