Postdoctoral Research Assistant in AI for Health Technologies

We are seeking to appoint a highly motivated Postdoctoral Research Assistant in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Health Technologies, to work within the recently established Podium Institute for Sports Medicine and Technology at the University of Oxford. This full-time post is fixed-term for up 12 months, with the possibility of an extension for a further 2 years, subject to funding.  The Postdoctoral Researcher will work under the supervision of Professor Mauricio Villarroel.

Established in October 2022, the Podium Institute sits within the Institute of Biomedical Engineering (IBME) in the University’s Department of Engineering Science and is supported by a £25m 10-year donation to the University. It constitutes a world-unique ecosystem within which to develop and validate new technologies for the diagnosis, prevention, and management of sports injuries, with a particular emphasis on safety rather than performance in the community and youth sports (11-18 years of age).

You will be part of an interdisciplinary team of researchers with the main aim to develop the next generation of sensing technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI) models to construct new personalised biomarkers of health in the context of evidence-based interdisciplinary sports injury prevention strategies. You will be responsible for the development of new digital health technologies and AI models to identify patterns of meaningful physiological change using multimodal sensing modalities such as video cameras, smartphones, wearable medical devices, body-worn sensors such as smart mouthguards, and flexible wearable sensors. This will also require expertise in the development of computer vision methods that can detect, segment, and analyse potential causes of injury from the high-frame-rate multi-angle video footage that is increasingly available at both professional and amateur sport events.

You will be expected to devote a substantial portion of your research time to the field of Sports Medicine. Examples of areas of research are: i) identify the factors that precede sudden cardiac death in competitive young athletes; ii) study the effects of sleep disorders and disruption of circadian rhythms on the incidence of sports-related injuries and other major clinical problems; iii) study the potential relationship between exposure to head impacts and the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and related dementias later in life; iv) develop algorithms to evaluate the behavioural mechanisms associated with response to stress and its impact on the incidence and recovery from athletic injuries; v) identify physiological factors and other biomarkers to assess the effectiveness of pharmacological interventions and other treatments for sports injuries as an exemplar.  Additionally, you will have the opportunity to work in other areas of Digital Health in collaboration with world-leading engineering and clinical teams.

You will help ensure a healthy and vibrant research environment within The Podium Institute for Sports Medicine and Technology at the University of Oxford. This will involve leading, devising, coordinating, and supervising research projects in this area, including the work involved in the collaborations with project partners, guidance to researchers and students, and applying for further funding to extend the research.

You should hold a relevant PhD/DPhil or be near completion (doctoral thesis must have been submitted) with experience in the field of biomedical engineering, information engineering, electrical engineering, computer science or other field relevant to the proposed area of research.  Proven programming experience in Python, MATLAB or C/C++ is also essential, as well as expertise in the analysis of time series data, such as the Electrocardiogram (ECG), the Photoplethysmogram (PPG) and other commonly signals recorded in hospitals. Prior experience in computer vision, biomedical imaging and the analysis of data recorded by wearable devices, body-worn sensors or other flexible wearable sensors.

Informal enquiries may be addressed to Professor Mauricio Villarroel ([email protected]).   

Only online applications received before midday on 26 February 2024 can be considered. You will be required to upload your CV, supporting statement and research proposal in a single PDF document not exceeding 10 pages in normal font and spacing.  Please refer to the job description document for further details on the role and the required format on How to Apply for the role.

The Department holds an Athena Swan Bronze award, highlighting its commitment to promoting women in Science, Engineering and Technology.