Research Associate in Biomedical Engineering/Physiological Signal Processing
| Posting date: | 25 April 2024 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £43,205 per year |
| Additional salary information: | including London Weighting Allowance |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 08 May 2024 |
| Location: | London, UK |
| Remote working: | On-site only |
| Company: | King's College London |
| Job type: | Temporary |
| Job reference: | 088406 |
Summary
Job description
We are seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Biomedical Engineer to join our research team working to develop novel non-invasive tests for the diagnosis of respiratory muscle (diaphragm) weakness. The ideal candidate for this position will hold a PhD (or be near completion) in Biomedical Engineering, Electrical/Electronic Engineering or a closely related discipline, and will have strong MATLAB coding skills. Prior experience of working with human myoelectric (electromyography (EMG)) and/or mechanomyography (MMG) data is desirable.
The successful candidate will contribute to a proof-of-concept research project funded by Asthma + Lung UK. You will work under the supervision of Dr Ernest Kamavuako (Biomedical Engineering/Physiological Signal Processing), Dr Caroline Jolley (Clinical Respiratory Medicine & Respiratory Muscle Physiology), and Dr Gerrard Rafferty (Human & Translational Physiology) in close collaboration with Professor Raimon Jané and colleagues at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) in Barcelona (Spain). The work will be conducted in the Centre for Human and Applied Physiological Sciences laboratories in the Department of Respiratory Medicine at the Denmark Hill campus of King’s College London. You will be responsible for prospective data collection in healthy human participants, dataset curation, processing and analytical methods development and will regularly communicate their findings to multidisciplinary audiences. The successful candidate will receive teaching in respiratory physiology monitoring and advanced respiratory muscle testing to a level sufficient to understand the aims of the project and collect physiological data independently.
This post will be offered on a fixed term contract to 21 November 2025.
This is a full-time post campus based at Denmark Hill Campus in the Respiratory Medicine & Allergy Building.
Key responsibilities
Undertake research of high quality consistent with making an active research contribution in line with the aims of the project
Design and develop experimental setups for acquiring non-invasive MMG and EMG signals from the diaphragm muscle
Be responsible for specific study-related decisions within your expertise and, where appropriate, in consultation with the Study Investigators
Recruitment of healthy volunteers for participation in the research project
Myoelectric (EMG) and mechanomyography (MMG) data acquisition from healthy human participants
Be responsible for MMG and EMG signal processing to extract relevant features related to diaphragm muscle strength
Perform statistical analysis to evaluate the relationship between MMG/EMG-derived indices and clinically measured respiratory muscle strength in healthy participants
Be familiar with the specialised equipment and/or techniques associated with the project
Comply with the King’s College London Health and Safety regulations and policies, good laboratory practice, GDPR and Good Clinical Practice (GCP)
Work in accordance with our partner NHS Trust policies (King’s College Hospital & Guy’s & St Thomas’)
Be aware of and work within the guidelines for biomedical research set out in the Declaration of Helsinki (1989)
Take responsibility for personal professional development
Carry out the research project with appropriate supervision to an agreed timeline
Attend and, as appropriate, present research findings at internal meetings and external conferences
Contribute to the preparation of publications arising from the research project
The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.
Skills, knowledge, and experience
Essential criteria
PhD (or be near completion) in Biomedical Engineering, Electrical/Electronic Engineering or a related field*
Experience of handling and analysing biomedical data
Experience of MATLAB coding
Basic statistical knowledge
Good communication skills to multi-disciplinary audiences
Ability to work effectively with colleagues, and other agencies
Good organisational and time management skills
Enthusiasm and ability to work under pressure
* Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6.
Desirable criteria
Previous experience in processing myoelectric (EMG) and/or mechanomyography (MMG) data
Practical experience in data acquisition and physiological measurements in healthy human subjects
Previous project management and/or research experience
Presentation of research at national/international meetings
Personal commitment to research
We are seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Biomedical Engineer to join our research team working to develop novel non-invasive tests for the diagnosis of respiratory muscle (diaphragm) weakness. The ideal candidate for this position will hold a PhD (or be near completion) in Biomedical Engineering, Electrical/Electronic Engineering or a closely related discipline, and will have strong MATLAB coding skills. Prior experience of working with human myoelectric (electromyography (EMG)) and/or mechanomyography (MMG) data is desirable.
The successful candidate will contribute to a proof-of-concept research project funded by Asthma + Lung UK. You will work under the supervision of Dr Ernest Kamavuako (Biomedical Engineering/Physiological Signal Processing), Dr Caroline Jolley (Clinical Respiratory Medicine & Respiratory Muscle Physiology), and Dr Gerrard Rafferty (Human & Translational Physiology) in close collaboration with Professor Raimon Jané and colleagues at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) in Barcelona (Spain). The work will be conducted in the Centre for Human and Applied Physiological Sciences laboratories in the Department of Respiratory Medicine at the Denmark Hill campus of King’s College London. You will be responsible for prospective data collection in healthy human participants, dataset curation, processing and analytical methods development and will regularly communicate their findings to multidisciplinary audiences. The successful candidate will receive teaching in respiratory physiology monitoring and advanced respiratory muscle testing to a level sufficient to understand the aims of the project and collect physiological data independently.
This post will be offered on a fixed term contract to 21 November 2025.
This is a full-time post campus based at Denmark Hill Campus in the Respiratory Medicine & Allergy Building.
Key responsibilities
Undertake research of high quality consistent with making an active research contribution in line with the aims of the project
Design and develop experimental setups for acquiring non-invasive MMG and EMG signals from the diaphragm muscle
Be responsible for specific study-related decisions within your expertise and, where appropriate, in consultation with the Study Investigators
Recruitment of healthy volunteers for participation in the research project
Myoelectric (EMG) and mechanomyography (MMG) data acquisition from healthy human participants
Be responsible for MMG and EMG signal processing to extract relevant features related to diaphragm muscle strength
Perform statistical analysis to evaluate the relationship between MMG/EMG-derived indices and clinically measured respiratory muscle strength in healthy participants
Be familiar with the specialised equipment and/or techniques associated with the project
Comply with the King’s College London Health and Safety regulations and policies, good laboratory practice, GDPR and Good Clinical Practice (GCP)
Work in accordance with our partner NHS Trust policies (King’s College Hospital & Guy’s & St Thomas’)
Be aware of and work within the guidelines for biomedical research set out in the Declaration of Helsinki (1989)
Take responsibility for personal professional development
Carry out the research project with appropriate supervision to an agreed timeline
Attend and, as appropriate, present research findings at internal meetings and external conferences
Contribute to the preparation of publications arising from the research project
The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.
Skills, knowledge, and experience
Essential criteria
PhD (or be near completion) in Biomedical Engineering, Electrical/Electronic Engineering or a related field*
Experience of handling and analysing biomedical data
Experience of MATLAB coding
Basic statistical knowledge
Good communication skills to multi-disciplinary audiences
Ability to work effectively with colleagues, and other agencies
Good organisational and time management skills
Enthusiasm and ability to work under pressure
* Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6.
Desirable criteria
Previous experience in processing myoelectric (EMG) and/or mechanomyography (MMG) data
Practical experience in data acquisition and physiological measurements in healthy human subjects
Previous project management and/or research experience
Presentation of research at national/international meetings
Personal commitment to research