PhD Position in In Vivo Spine Biomechanics in Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

PhD Position in In Vivo Spine Biomechanics in Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

100%, start in June 2022

The Spine Research group (PD Dr. med. Netzer) and the Functional Biomechanics Research group (Prof. Dr. Mündermann) at the Department of Biomedical Engineering (DBE) invite applications for a PhD position as part of a translational project investigating spine biomechanics with a focus on lumbar spinal stenosis. The 4-year project, which will be carried out at the University Hospital Basel in collaboration with the ETH Zurich*, will start in June 2022. The project aims to test the overall hypothesis that LSS affects spinal load and that this functional abnormality depends on anatomical, functional, physiological and biomechanical variations and therefore the severity of the disease. The PhD candidate will be responsible for all aspects of the in vivo part of the larger study involving movement biomechanical experiments on the lumbar spine in humans.

Your position
The PhD project will involve in vivo biomechanical experiments in patients with symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis and in age-matched asymptomatic persons. You will adapt, combine, and refine established methods for assessing spine biomechanics and evaluate the accuracy and precision of your pipeline. You will collaborate with clinicians to recruit and clinically assess participants, oversee EOS and MR imaging data collection, carry out motion data and electromyographic data collection, refine algorithms for data processing and combine results of in vivo experiments with those of simulation experiments carried out by our engineering collaborator. You will also be involved in proposal writing and acquisition of new research projects and in teaching or supervision of student projects at the Bachelor or Master level.

Your profile

• Highly motivated candidate with a Master's or comparable degree in biomedical engineering, movement science, or a related discipline
• Excellent grades
• Strong skills in Matlab programming and algebra
• Profound knowledge in motion analysis, electromyography, and biostatistics
• Ideally, previous experience with Vicon Nexus, electromyography, and spine biomechanics
• Experience with studies carried out in a clinical context
• Willingness to work in a multidisciplinary team of spine surgeons, radiologists, movement scientists and biomedical engineers
• Strong German and English language and communication skills

We offer you
The PhD project will be part of a research project funded for 4 years by the Swiss National Science Foundation. We offer an international, multidisciplinary work environment and excellent research infrastructure. Compensation will be according to the guidelines of the Swiss National Science Foundation (www.snf.ch). Expected start date is June 1, 2022.

Application / Contact
Applications are accepted until January 31, 2022 or the position has been filled. Please submit your application as a single PDF document via e-mail (subject: “Application: PhD position spine biomechanics”, address: see below). The document should include your letter of motivation, your CV, transcripts of your bachelor's and master's diploma, proof of German language proficiency, as well as contact information of at least two references.
For applications and questions please contact Prof. Dr. Annegret Mündermann ([email protected] ).
*Please note that a second PhD position on the musculoskeletal modeling aspects of the project is currently advertised at ETH Zurich https://www.jobs.ethz.ch/job/view/JOPG_ethz_znAG3F58t1TFCeYkQl
www.unibas.ch