Post-doctoral Research Associate at Georgia Tech and Emory - Engineering for Wearable Robotics

Overview

Georgia Tech prides itself on its technological resources, collaborations, high-quality student body, and its commitment to building an outstanding and diverse community of learning, discovery, and creation. We strongly encourage applicants whose values align with our institutional values, as outlined in our Strategic Plan. These values include academic excellence, diversity of thought and experience, inquiry and innovation, collaboration and community, and ethical behavior and stewardship. Georgia Tech has policies to promote a healthy work-life balance and is aware that attracting faculty may require meeting the needs of two careers.

About Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech is a top-ranked public research university situated in the heart of Atlanta, a diverse and vibrant city with numerous economic and cultural strengths. The Institute serves more than 45,000 students through top-ranked undergraduate, graduate, and executive programs in engineering, computing, science, business, design, and liberal arts. Georgia Tech's faculty attracted more than $1.4 billion in research awards this past year in fields ranging from biomedical technology to artificial intelligence, energy, sustainability, semiconductors, neuroscience, and national security. Georgia Tech ranks among the nation's top 20 universities for research and development spending and No. 1 among institutions without a medical school.

Georgia Tech's Mission and Values

Georgia Tech's mission is to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. The Institute has nine key values that are foundational to everything we do:

1. Students are our top priority.
2. We strive for excellence.
3. We thrive on diversity.
4. We celebrate collaboration.
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6. We safeguard freedom of inquiry and expression.
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Over the next decade, Georgia Tech will become an example of inclusive innovation, a leading technological research university of unmatched scale, relentlessly committed to serving the public good; breaking new ground in addressing the biggest local, national, and global challenges and opportunities of our time; making technology broadly accessible; and developing exceptional, principled leaders from all backgrounds ready to produce novel ideas and create solutions with real human impact.

About the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology

The Woodruff School graduates high caliber mechanical engineers for a demanding profession. Mechanical engineers are the foundation of today's technological world. To do so, we provide enhanced facilities and laboratories to create the best learning environment and we attract outstanding faculty and students. In this period of rapid technological change, the Woodruff School produces mechanical engineers who are vital to our future. With approximately 3,000 students,100 faculty members, and 70 staff members, we are one of the largest mechanical engineering programs in the country. We are consistently ranked as one of the top 10 mechanical engineering programs in the U.S. at both the graduate and undergraduate levels and continuously innovate to keep our school at the forefront of engineering education. Our size and resources allow us to offer a variety of educational and research opportunities that enable us to produce highly sought after engineering professionals.

Atlanta, GA

POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATES AT GEORGIA TECH AND EMORY

The EPIC lab at Georgia Tech, led by Dr. Aaron Young, the PoWeR lab at Georgia Tech, led by Dr. Greg Sawicki, and the Emory Rehab Hospital Motion Analysis Lab, led by Dr. Trisha Kesar are jointly recruiting for one postdoctoral research position available until filled.

The one new post-doctoral research associates (PRA) will work together on an NIH-funded project to develop autonomous wearable robotic systems to enhance mobility post-stroke. The PRAs will join a multi-disciplinary team of scientists with expertise in engineering, prosthetics, orthotics, and physical therapy split between Georgia Tech and Emory campuses. The research will leverage novel, self-adaptive AI systems to optimize both hip and ankle exoskeleton performance and includes biofeedback to enhance motor learning during post-stroke gait.

A key philosophy of our mentorship style is to provide the PRAs guidance and support to develop new avenues of independent research in line with our project's objectives and their future goals. In the post-doctoral training period the PIs will help the PRAs establish the skills necessary to launch an independent scientific career (e.g., advising, grant writing, project management). The PRAs will also gain experience mentoring junior graduate and undergraduate students on various projects in the lab. Training will emphasize: Concept ideation, protocol design, and implementation of rigorous hypothesis-driven experimental research to test human performance during walking with wearable robots.

Post-doctoral Research Associate - Engineering for Wearable Robotics

Description: The engineering post-doctoral research associate will join an existing multi-disciplinary team focused on stroke rehabilitation with assistive technology and will be jointly based at Georgia Tech and Emory. A core theme of this individual's work will be developing training and biofeedback systems to improve gait mobility in stroke using assistive devices. The post-doctoral associate will have the ability to expand the project in new and interesting ways based on their expertise and interests. Examples include (but are not limited to) bi-directional assistive technology communications, haptic feedback combined with exos, sensory augmentation, and AI for personalization (potentially combined with biofeedback).

A doctoral degree in engineering or related fields

• A doctoral degree in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, robotics or biomedical engineering (or a related discipline, such as bioengineering biomechanics, motor control, rehabilitation science, etc.)
• Experience and background knowledge in at least one of the following areas that are relevant for the position: mechatronics, AI/ML, optimization of wearable robotic control, clinical gait analysis, stroke, biomechanics, energetics and/or control of human movement.
• Strong publication track record
• Clinical and/or human subjects research experience

Starting salary will be set according to the current NIH guidelines based on previous experience.

• Strong desire to develop independent scientific trajectory, such as knowledge of experimental design, hypothesis testing and statistics.
• Good communication and teamwork skills
• Competent programming skills (we primarily use Python and Matlab in the lab)
• Strong hands-on mechatronics skills, ability to work with embedded sensors, actuators, and microprocessors for robotic systems.
• Ability to collect high quality human gait data in a biomechanics laboratory
• Inverse dynamics computations (e.g., in the OpenSim environment)
• Optimization algorithms
• Data-driven machine learning systems
• Clinical and/or stroke gait analysis
• Capability of running biomechanics equipment (motion capture, force plates, EMG, metabolics)
• Prior experience with and/or desire to work with clinical patient populations.

Please reach out to Ms. Shin Ae Cho at shinae.cho@me.gatech.edu for additional information.

The University System of Georgia is comprised of our 26 institutions of higher education and learning as well as the System Office. Our USG Statement of Core Values are Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect. These values serve as the foundation for all that we do as an organization, and each USG community member is responsible for demonstrating and upholding these standards. More details on the USG Statement of Core Values and Code of Conduct are available in USG Board Policy 8.2.18.1.2 and can be found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section8/C224/#p8.2.18_personnel_conduct.

Additionally, USG supports Freedom of Expression as stated in Board Policy 6.5 Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section6/C2653.

The initial appointment will be made for 1 year, with additional years possible following a positive annual review. However, we strongly prefer candidates who are willing to commit to a minimum 2-year training period.

The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. The University is committed to maintaining a fair and respectful environment for all. To that end, and in accordance with federal and state law, Board of Regents policy, and University policy, Georgia Tech provides equal opportunity to all faculty, staff, students, and all other members of the Georgia Tech community, including applicants for admission and/or employment, contractors, volunteers, and participants in institutional programs, activities, or services. Georgia Tech complies with all applicable laws and regulations governing equal opportunity in the workplace and in educational activities.

Georgia Tech prohibits discrimination, including discriminatory harassment, on the basis of race, ethnicity, ancestry, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, disability, genetics, or veteran status in its programs, activities, employment, and admissions. This prohibition applies to faculty, staff, students, and all other members of the Georgia Tech community, including affiliates, invitees, and guests. Further, Georgia Tech prohibits citizenship status, immigration status, and national origin discrimination in hiring, firing, and recruitment, except where such restrictions are required in order to comply with law, regulation, executive order, or Attorney General directive, or where they are required by Federal, State, or local government contract.

More information on these policies can be found here: https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section6/c2714 Board of Regents Policy Manual | University System of Georgia (usg.edu).

This position is 100% supported by sponsored funds.

The candidate of choice will be required to pass a pre-employment background screening. http://policylibrary.gatech.edu/employment/pre-employment-screening.