Dr. Albert Vette, Dr. Milad Nazarahari

Please find the following details for a joint opening between IDEA Lab (director: Dr. Milad Nazarahari) and NCBLab (director: Dr. Albert Vette) at the University of Alberta.

Almost everyone canies a smartphone or has access to a webcam these days. With this in mind, at both the IDEA Lab and NCBLab, we strive to develop accessible, cost effective and validated human movement/health monitoring tools. This project will benefit from translational knowledge in two disciplines, Biomedical Engineering and Computer Vision, toward developing a validated markerless technology for human movement analysis.

Technical Training:

• Design and implement experimental studies with humans, specifically those with upper/lower limb impairment
• Biomedical image/signal processing techniques for analyzing human movement in real time. Data collection using a camera motion capture system and wearable motion trackers.
• Program-related coursework (e.g., signal processing, image processing, movement biomechanics, etc.).

Qualifications

1. MSc degree in Biomedical, Mechanical, Electrical Engineering, or Computer Science.
2. Research interest and/or experience (coursework, research, and/or industrial): video data processing with deep learning methods, familiarity with (1) Spatial-Temporal Graph Convolutional Networks, (ii) Pose Estimation Networks, (iii) Generative Adversarial Networks, and human movement analysis.
3. Experience in programming with MATLAB for data analysis.
4. Proficient in programming with Python, especially deep leaming toolboxes.
5. Minimum GPA of 3.5/4.0 (or equivalent).
6. Effective written and verbal communication skills in English.
   Preferred Qualifications (these are assets):
7. Experience in implementing deep learning methods for video data processing.
8. Experience working with ST GCN-LSTM, STGAT, OpenPose, DeepPose, or HRNet.
9. Experience in human data collection, specifically during functional tasks or sports activities.
10. Experience working with wearable sensors (IMU) and camera motion capture systems.
11. Experience in interdisciplinary research in collaboration with health scientists, the healthcare system, and the biomedical industry.
    How to Apply: Please see the specific steps on the IDEA Lab website.
    Promoting Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI): At the IDEA Lab and NCBLab, we believe that promoting EDI is the only way to move forward. We strive to build and maintain an equitable, diverse, inclusive, interdisciplinary, and collaborative environment where we benefit from a broad spectrum of ideas and experiences. We encourage people with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and lived experiences to join us, specifically members of underrepresented and disadvantaged groups (e.g., women, Indigenous people, visible minorities, and people with disabilities).
    

Contact

please submit your application to Dr. Nazarahari via email (milad.nazarahari@ualberta.ca):

1. (Required) Cover letter: a brief statement of your motivation, research interests, & relevant past experiences (max 1 page).
2. (Required) Academic CV, including a list of publications and contact information of three references**.
3. (If available) Transcripts of your previous degrees (pdf file).
4. (If available for international students) English language test results, e.g., TOEFL, IELTS (pdf file).
5. (If available) Your representative publications (pdf file, max 3 samples). 

* Please use “Prospective [MSc/PhD/PDF] Candidate – [Project title] – [Your Full Name]” as the subject of your email. If there is no position advertised but you are interested to join us, use “External” instead of “Project title.”

** Your references will be contacted only after your (online) interview. 

Deadline

Until the position is filled.