At a time when artificial intelligence inspires both great hope and considerable concern, some researchers are demonstrating how this technology can truly serve the common good. One such researcher is Dr. Maxime Taquet, a brilliant Belgian scientist recently honored with the prestigious 2024 Sir Jules Thorn Prize, awarded by the Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust.
An Extraordinary Career Path
This highly competitive award provides £1.7 million in funding over five years and recognizes outstanding early-career researchers in academic medicine. Dr. Taquet’s nomination by the University of Oxford and subsequent selection for the award highlight the international recognition he has earned.
His unique academic trajectory reflects an insatiable intellectual curiosity. After graduating as a civil engineer from UCLouvain in 2009 with a specialization in brain imaging, he pursued a PhD between Belgium and Harvard Medical School, supported in part by a WBI Excellence World Fellowship. His doctoral work focused on the interactions between the brain and neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism.
However, the analytical distance required by imaging work left him wanting more direct contact with patients. Dr. Taquet subsequently joined the University of Oxford’s accelerated medical program, which combines self-directed learning, bedside teaching, and academic medicine. He specialized in psychiatry and now works at Oxford as a consultant psychiatrist, researcher, and lecturer.
AI and Psychiatry
Dr. Taquet’s groundbreaking approach lies in his ability to combine his engineering background with clinical practice. He applies artificial intelligence to deepen understanding and improve treatment of mental illness. His award-winning project, Instability Measurement to Predict and Alter Clinical Trajectories of Severe Mental Illness (IMPACT-SMI), aims to forecast and influence clinical trajectories of severe mental illnesses by analyzing symptom fluctuations over time.
His perspective on AI stands in stark contrast to the doomsday narratives often portrayed in the media. Instead, he shows how this technology—when used ethically and rigorously—can transform medicine, especially in the field of mental health. By integrating brain imaging data, mobile phone usage patterns, and genetic information, his team is developing more accurate tools for diagnosing and treating psychiatric disorders.
This multidimensional approach proved especially valuable during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under Dr. Taquet’s leadership, a major study published in The Lancet Psychiatry became a reference in understanding the neurological and psychiatric impacts of the virus.
A Committed Scientist
Beyond his scientific achievements, Dr. Taquet exemplifies a human-centered vision of science. His career, rooted in a search for meaning, emphasizes knowledge-sharing, understanding the world, and delivering solutions.
His inspiring success story highlights the crucial role of international scientific mobility. Supported by institutional grants and global collaborations, researchers like Dr. Taquet are able to turn bold ideas into tangible progress.
For students and researchers hoping to follow a similar path, Wallonia-Brussels International offers various international mobility programs. These opportunities can, as in Dr. Taquet’s case, serve as a springboard toward an exceptional scientific career dedicated to advancing medical progress.