Doctoral student in Data-Driven Methods in Human Movement Biomechanics

Project description

Third-cycle subject: Engineering Mechanics

The PhD student will join the research group at KTH MoveAbility, with a special focus on data-driven methods in human movement. Our research focus is technology to decode, predict and enhance human movements, with an extra focus on people with motor disabilities. Our common research goals are to investigate fundamental motor, body and performance-related factors that contribute to movement abnormalities and overuse injuries, and to develop evaluation tools and active assistive devices. Our research methods include experiments, modeling/simulation and data-driven algorithms.

The growing group is multicultural and multidisciplinary. KTH MoveAbility is part of the Department of Engineering Mechanics. The Promobilia MoveAbility Lab is our well-equipped experimental research infrastructure, centrally located on KTH's campus.

We have close collaboration with an interdisciplinary network of clinical and technical researchers and with KTH Innovation. The research group is financed by the Promobilia Foundation, the Swedish Research Council and Digital Futures.

The PhD student’s focus will be to develop and apply data-driven methods of movement data collected in our lab as well as from cameras, smart devices and wearable and portable sensors that measure movement, muscle activation and other biosignals, interaction forces, etc, and thereby contribute to advancing our fundamental understanding of movement, creating new diagnosis and evaluation tools, informing exoskeleton control, and developing portable evaluation methods. 

Besides experiments and develop of data-driven methods, the project may also include product development and application on clinical questions. The PhD student will be financed by the Swedish Research Council, Promobilia Foundation and Digital Futures.

We see you who have a master’s degree or equivalent in engineering physics, computer science, mechanical engineering, applied math, biomedical engineering or other relevant area.

Supervision: Professor Lanie Gutierrez Farewik is proposed to supervise the doctoral student. Decisions are made on admission.

What we offer

• The possibility to study in a dynamic and international research environment in collaboration with industries and prominent universities from all over the world.
• A workplace with many employee benefits and monthly salary according to KTH’s Doctoral student salary agreement.
• A postgraduate education at an institution that is active and supportive in matters pertaining to working conditions, gender equality and diversity as well as study environment.
• Work and study in Stockholm, close to nature and the water.
• Work in a multidisciplinary, multicultural and well-equipped research environment in human movement biomechanics.
• Help to relocate and be settled in Sweden and at KTH.

Admission requirements

To be admitted to postgraduate education (Chapter 7, 39 § Swedish Higher Education Ordinance), the applicant must have basic eligibility in accordance with either of the following:

• passed a second cycle degree (for example a master's degree), or
• completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 second-cycle higher education credits, or
• acquired, in some other way within or outside the country, substantially equivalent knowledge

In addition to the above, there is also a mandatory requirement for English equivalent to English B/6.

Selection

In order to succeed as a doctoral student at KTH you need to be goal oriented and persevering in your work. During the selection process, candidates will be assessed upon their ability to:

• independently pursue his or her work
• collaborate with others,
• have a professional approach and
• analyse and work with complex issues
• program in Matlab and/or Python,
• speak and write well in English since it's required in our everyday work 
• conduct experiments on a diverse set of people, which requires good social skills and unquestionable values of equality and respect
• want to learn Swedish in order to communicate with research subjects and stakeholders
• Experience with human movement analysis is desirable and advantageous
• Experience with developing data-driven methods is desirable and advantageous
• Interest in innovation and commercialization is advantageous
• Our environment of gender equality and equal treatment of all people must be prioritized

After the qualification requirements, great emphasis will be placed on personal skills. 

Target degree: Doctoral degree

Information regarding admission and employment

Only those admitted to postgraduate education may be employed as a doctoral student. The total length of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education in four years ' time. An employed doctoral student can, to a limited extent (maximum 20%), perform certain tasks within their role, e.g. training and administration. A new position as a doctoral student is for a maximum of one year, and then the employment may be renewed for a maximum of two years at a time. In the case of studies that are to be completed with a licentiate degree, the total period of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education for two years.

Union representatives

Contact information for union representatives.

Doctoral section (Students’ union on KTH Royal Institute of Technology)

Contact information for doctoral section.

To apply for the position

Apply for the position and admission through KTH's recruitment system. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the advertisement.

Applications must be received at the last closing date at midnight, CET/CEST (Central European Time/Central European Summer Time).

Applications must include the following elements:

• CV including your relevant professional experience and knowledge.
• Application letter with a brief description of why you want to pursue research studies, about what your academic interests are and how they relate to your previous studies and future goals. (Maximum 2 pages long)
• Copies of diplomas and grades from previous university studies and certificates of fulfilled language requirements (see above). Translations into English or Swedish if the original document is not issued in one of these languages.Copies of originals must be certified.
• Representative publications or technical reports. For longer documents, please provide a summary (abstract) and a web link to the full text.

Other information

Striving towards gender equality, diversity and equal conditions is both a question of quality for KTH and a given part of our values.

For information about processing of personal data in the recruitment process.

According to The Protective Security Act (2018-585), the candidate must undergo and pass security vetting if the position is placed in a security class. Information regarding whether the position is subject to such a classification will be provided during the recruitment process.

We firmly decline all contact with staffing and recruitment agencies and job ad salespersons.

Disclaimer: In case of discrepancy between the Swedish original and the English translation of the job announcement, the Swedish version takes precedence.