Le PhD Nerd

PhD Researcher at Ghent University (UGent) – imec

Ir. Lennert Bontinck

Artificial Intelligence (AI)Deep LearningComputationally EfficiencyBiomedical Signal ProcessingExplainable AIElectrocardiography (ECG)Atrial FibrillationClinical Decision Support

Academic career

3+ Degrees

PhD in AI for Healthcare

Universiteit Gent Ghent - Belgium
Specialisation: Computer Science - AI

PhD research in machine learning and deep learning for biomedical time-series, with a strong focus on ECG analysis and atrial fibrillation.

2022 – Current
PhD

Computer Science

Vrije Universiteit Brussel Brussels - Belgium
Specialisation: Artificial Intelligence

Master’s training focused on AI methods, modelling, and applied machine learning, completed with summa cum laude distinction.

2019 – 2022
Master
Summa cum laude

Applied Computer Science

Hogeschool Gent Alost - Belgium
Specialisation: Programming & App Development

Foundation in software engineering, programming, and practical application development, completed with magna cum laude distinction.

2016 – 2019
Professional Bachelor
Magna cum laude

Publications

8+ Publications
/
16+ Citations

Teaching activity

A selection of my teaching, supervision, and student support roles, with a focus on computer science education and hands-on learning.

6+ Activities

Master Thesis Supervisor

Universiteit Gent Ghent - Belgium

Supervision of a Master’s thesis student, with the objective of translating high-quality results into an A1-level publication.

2025 – Current
Thesis Counsellor

Student Coach

Universiteit Gent Ghent - Belgium

Student support role focused on helping new students navigate university life, informed by training on teaching practice and supporting diverse student groups.

2025 – Current
Student support

Network Security

Universiteit Gent Ghent - Belgium

A series of lectures with 2 practical sessions where students implement baseline security practices such as SSH hardening and IPsec on Linux systems.

2025 – Current
Teaching Assistant

Algorithms & Data Structures

Universiteit Gent Ghent - Belgium

Teaching assistant role for 7 practical sessions focused on algorithmic thinking, whiteboard exercises, and structured practice based on standard reference material.

2023 – Current
Teaching Assistant

Machine Learning

Universiteit Gent Ghent - Belgium

Support and quality control for practical assignments (Jupyter notebooks) spanning topics from Bayesian learning to deep learning, including lab supervision.

2022 – Current
Lab Supervisor

Master Thesis Promotor

Universiteit Gent Ghent - Belgium

Supervision of 3 Master’s thesis students across computer science and biomedical engineering, with outcomes including strong final grades and follow-up research trajectories.

2024 – 2025
Thesis Counsellor

Academic Projects, Collaborations & Funding

6+ Projects

Ad interim Coordinator – HINT.GENT

HINT.GENT Ghent - Belgium

Responsible for the daily coordination and operational management of HINT.GENT consortium on an ad interim basis. Activities include event organisation, project initiation, stakeholder communication and network development.

2026 – Current
Consortium

VasculAI

Interreg France - Wallonia - Flanders

Research project developing deep learning models for signals from a new wearable, supporting prediction and monitoring of cardiovascular conditions in clinical and real-world settings.

2024 – Current
Project

Personal PhD funding

Universiteit Gent Ghent - Belgium

Awarded a multi-year research grant to study automated patient trajectory prediction for atrial fibrillation and other arrhythmias using machine learning on standard 12-lead ECG.

2023 – Current
Funding

Predictive Models of Time Series Data in Health Care

Universiteit Gent Ghent - Belgium

Core PhD research track focused on building and evaluating predictive models for biomedical time-series with an emphasis on reliability and clinical relevance.

2022 – Current
Project

International Research Visit to Uppsala University

Uppsala University Uppsala - Sweden

Research visit involving collaboration on a novel hybrid-AI approach for disease prediction from ECG signals, together with Prof. Antônio H. Ribeiro.

2024
Research Visit

Heartfelt

imec - ZOL Genk - Belgium

Collaboration with Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg (ZOL) and imec focused on developing compact models for atrial fibrillation prediction using hospital-collected ECG data.

2022 – 2023
Project

Interested in an academic collaboration, project, or talk?