Open Research Positions

Post-Doctoral Scholar Position(s): 

A total of 2 positions are currently open. Note that positions are fully funded. Interested candidates should submit a curriculum vitae, personal statement, and contact information for at least 2 references to Prof. An Do, MD (and@uci.edu).

Position 1 (OPEN): The UCI BCI lab is actively recruiting for a post-doctoral scholar to join our research team in designing novel BCI systems to help people with paralysis due to neurological disorders (e.g. spinal cord injury, stroke). 

We are seeking highly motivated individuals to start immediately on a new project which will involve the exploration of entirely novel bi-directional BCI/BMI concepts, centered around single unit potentials and stimulation. This project includes the following research activities and responsibilities:

  1. Undertaking neuro-electrophysiological experiments with single units ensembles for the purpose of BCI/BMI development
  2. Undertaking embedded system design and programming
  3. Undertaking microfabrication of micro-scale devices for single unit ensemble acquisition and stimulation
  4. Interacting with and recruiting study patients coming from a variety of neurological conditions (epilepsy, SCI, stroke, etc.)
  5. A variety of related multi-disciplinary tasks

Desired qualifications:

  1. PhD or equivalent in biomedical engineering, electrical engineering, physics, neuroscience, computer science or related fields
  2. Experience with acquisition and analysis of local field potentials and single unit ensembles (in vitro, or in vivo)
  3. Experience with neural electrical stimulation techniques
  4. Experience with microfabrication and/or nanofabrication techniques (e.g. microelectrode arrays, microfluidic systems, integrated circuit design)
  5. Experience in BCI or other neural prosthetics application
  6. High proficiency in Matlab and C/C++/C#
  7. Proficiency in embedded systems and robotics
  8. Experience with EEG or ECoG acquisition and analysis is preferred
  9. History of good human and patient interaction and good interpersonal skills

A significant amount of experimental and clinical research work will be performed offsite from UC Irvine, and hence car ownership and the ability to drive between sites is mandatory for this position. Interest in staying 3 years is preferred.

Position 2 (Open): The UCI BCI lab is actively recruiting for a post-doctoral scholar to join our research team in designing cellular approaches help people with paralysis due to neurological disorders (e.g. spinal cord injury, stroke, etc.). 

We are seeking highly motivated individuals to start immediately on a new project which will involve exploration of entirely novel neural tissue engineering concepts centered around neurons and glial cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSCs). This project includes the following research activities and responsibilities:

  1. Culturing neuronal tissues using neurons and glial cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSC)
  2. Undertaking neuro-electrophysiological experiments with single units ensembles
  3. Interacting with and recruiting study patients coming from a variety of neurological conditions (epilepsy, SCI, stroke, etc.)
  4. A variety of related multi-disciplinary tasks

Desired qualifications:

  1. PhD or equivalent in biomedical engineering, neuroscience, or biological sciences
  2. Experience with human tissue culturing and neuronal tissue culturing
  3. Experience with iPSC and differentiation into different cell lines (e.g. neurons and glial cells)
  4. Experience with single unit recordings and/or patch clamping techniques
  5. Experience with neuronal stimulation techniques
  6. Experience with microscopy techniques (e.g. calcium channel imaging)
  7. High proficiency in data analysis and image processing software, e.g. Matlab
  8. Proficiency in C/C++/C# is preferred
  9. History of good human and patient interaction and good interpersonal skills

A significant amount of experimental and clinical research work will be performed offsite from UC Irvine, and hence car ownership and the ability to drive between sites is mandatory for this position. Interest in staying 3 years is preferred.

Position 3 (Closed): The UCI BCI lab is actively recruiting for a post-doctoral scholar to join our research team in designing a fully implantable BCI system to help people with paralysis due to neurological disorders (e.g. spinal cord injury, stroke, etc.). We are seeking highly motivated individuals to start immediately on a new project which includes the following research activities and responsibilities:

  1. Undertaking neuro-electrophysiological experiments with patients undergoing ECoG electrode implantation, analysis of data collected
  2. Undertaking embedded system design and programming
  3. Interacting with and recruiting study patients coming from a variety of neurological conditions (epilepsy, SCI, stroke, etc.)
  4. Interacting with industry consultants to undertake industrial design, and interacting with FDA regarding device regulations
  5. A variety of related multi-disciplinary tasks

Desired qualifications:

  1. PhD or equivalent in biomedical engineering, electrical engineering, physics, neuroscience, computer science or related fields
  2. Experience with acquisition and analysis of EEG, ECoG, or local field potentials
  3. Experience in BCI or other neural prosthetics application
  4. Experience with neural electrical stimulation research
  5. High proficiency in Matlab and C/C++/C#
  6. Proficiency in embedded systems
  7. History of good human and patient interaction and good interpersonal skills
  8. Industrial experience in medical devices is preferred

This project is done in collaboration with local institutions, including University of Southern California (USC), California Institute of Technology (Caltech), and Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center. A significant amount of experimental and clinical research work will be performed offsite from UC Irvine, and hence car ownership and the ability to drive between sites is mandatory for this position. Interest in staying 4-5 years is preferred.

 

CLOSED: The UCI BCI Lab is actively recruiting for a post-doctoral scholar to join our research team in designing brain computer interfaces (BCIs) to help people with severe motor impairment from neurologic disorders.  We are seeking highly motivated individuals to start immediately on a new project using BCIs to rehabilitate motor function in people with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).  This project is part of a collaboration with Northwestern University, the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC), and the Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center. This work is multidisciplinary, and we collaborate closely with other laboratories thus providing tremendous educational and networking opportunities.

Desired qualifications include a PhD in biomedical engineering, electrical engineering, physics, neuroscience, computer science or related fields. Experience in BCIs or other neural prosthetics application is preferred.  Candidates should possess neuroscience and machine learning/statistical/signal processing background as well as proficiency with Matlab and/or C/C++.  Candidates should also have experience with EEG, electrocorticography (ECoG), or local field potential signals. Interest in staying for a 4 to 5 year time period is preferred. Since research activities will often involve collaborating sites, the ability to drive between sites will be mandatory. Finally, candidates should also have experience with working with human research subjects and have good interpersonal communication skills.

 

 

Masters-level and undergraduate-level Research positions are open in the UCI Brain-computer interface lab. Interested undergraduate students are asked to commit at least 3 quarters of research, and must hold a GPA of 3.5 or higher. Research credit via 199 options are available, as are UROP, SURP opportunities. Masters students are required to take research thesis option in their degree track.

Interested students should contact the UCI Brain-computer interface Lab faculty.

Research positions are open in the following research positions are available:

  • Mechanical Engineering: Students will be involved in the design of implantable enclosures for electronics. This includes the design and fabrication of titanium alloy enclosures to house implantable electronics for a brain-computer inteface system, which will ultimately be surgically implanted into the brain and body. The design process will most likely involve learning 3D CAD design and CNC milling. Testing will involve hermetic seal testing, thermodynamic testing and simulation, electrical integrity testing, etc.
  • Biosciences/Social Sciences: Students will be involved in studying the reception of brain-computer interfaces in society. Students will be involved in studying how brain-computer interface are percieved amongst the people it is intended to target. This study will involve survey design, conducting interviews in the field, and performing analysis on responses.
  • Electrical Engineering: Students will be involved in the design and fabrication of circuits necessary for an implantable brain-computer interface system. This will include the use of electronic schematic design and implementation on electronic layout programs, followed by fabrication at printed circuit board manufacturers. Testing will involve electrical integrity testing as well as field testing of the brain-computer interface systems.
  • Computer Science: Students will be involved in the programming of embedded systems as well as desktop applications that are necessary for brain-computer interface systems.
  • Neuroscience/Biomedical Engineering/Digital Signal Processing: Students will be involved in performing brain-computer interface related experiments, and analyzing electrophysiological signals, including EEG, ECoG, EMG, etc.

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