Hawthorne Fellow in Autism Innovation - 104934
 

Salary range: £39,992 - £42,418
FTE: 1.0
Term: Fixed Term (3 years)
Closing date: 04/02/2018

We seek a motivated, experienced scientist for data analytics of human movement patterns for early assessment of childhood neuropsychiatric disorders, especially autism. This Hawthorne Fellowship is a generous 3-year senior post-doctoral post to achieve earlier diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders in very young children and infants using cutting-edge wearable and smart sensor technologies. You will be part of multidisciplinary Laboratory for Innovation in Autism, a cross-disciplinary research centre between Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Psychology, and Education with clinical application in Neuropsychiatry.

At Strathclyde we have particular expertise in movement analysis with spin-out companies that include Vicon and the Silent Herdsman. We have psychological expertise in the role of movement and embodiment in child development and developmental neuropsychology. Your work will accelerate the development of novel, smart movement-sensing technologies for the ecological analysis of children’s motor patterns as a route to early assessment and diagnosis. You will work within an international network of clinical, educational, and academic partners to better characterise children’s motor performance during ecological iPad gameplay or during real-world activities with wearable sensors. 

As Hawthorne Fellow in Autism Innovation you will: (i) contribute improved iPad data analytics to assess children’s motor patterns using wearable during gameplay (see http://www.nature.com/articles/srep31107) as part of a large EU H2020 diagnostic trial with the Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre and with a trial at the University of Southern California; (2) collaborate with autism leaders at Deakin and Melbourne Universities on analysis of whole-body movement of children; (3) and contribute your creativity and vision to build a lab that seeks innovative technological solutions to identification of risk for neurodevelopmental disorder at birth.  To this end, we are currently engaged in plans for a whole-population birth cohort with the next generation of wearable IMUs. 

This is an exciting opportunity to join our laboratory and to shape its development.  We seek an experienced data or research scientist who has a track record and momentum, and who now seeks to consolidate this experience and accelerate their publication track record in this exciting new field of technological and clinical overlap where we are ahead of the curve.  The analysis of movement data using light-weight wearable IMUs for neuropsychiatric purposes is an emerging field assisted by serious game frameworks for fun and ecological paradigms children enjoy.  We work to define ‘motor signatures’ with computational precision in ecological contexts as important biomarkers for neurodevelopmental disorder.  Such non-invasive, accessible, and accurate assessment holds great potential.  This Hawthorne Fellowship will develop the computational approaches that contribute to early assessment from deep psychological perspective of embodiment in mental health and autism (http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnint.2013.00049/).

We seek a highly-motivated data scientist or human movement scientists broadly considered (psychologist, biomedical engineer, neuroscientist) with expertise in data analytics and machine or deep learning, and inspired to develop early assessment technologies, analytics, and paradigms.  A good honours degree and PhD (or, exceptionally, equivalent professional experience) in any of Digital Health, Psychology, Neuroscience, Biomedical Engineering, Biomechanics, or Electrical and Electronic Engineering, plus relevant research experience to enable the delivery and dissemination of independent research.  Candidates will have a body of published research in the field, in high quality publications and demonstrate previous research experience in a relevant discipline.  Interest in neurodevelopmental disorders or wearables sensors in digital health is a significant benefit.  

The postholder will become a team leader, supervising PhD students, junior post-docs, and lead on dissemination of research results and impact.  The successful candidate will lead on sourcing research funding and grant application writing, as Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator.  In this first instance, you will provide data analytics for ongoing projects supported by the EU H2020, EPSRC, Carnegie Trust, and Scottish Government.  As the work develops, you will be expected to secure grants and develop the aims of the lab. The post is initially 3 years fixed term, with the possibility for extension on successful grant funding.  

The Laboratory for Innovation in Autism is situated in the city centre of Glasgow next to the Technology and Innovation Centre at the University of Strathclyde. 

Informal enquiries about the post can be directed to Dr Jonathan Delafield-Butt, Reader in Autism and Child Development (jonathan.delafield-butt@strath.ac.uk, +44 (0)141 444 8053).

Formal interviews for this post will be held on Friday, 16 February 2018.

Click here for full details
Faculty
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Department/School
Strathclyde Institute of Education
Staff Category
Research
Type of Employment
Fixed-term
Working Hours
Full-time
Vacancy Description
 
Salary range: £39,992 - £42,418
FTE: 1.0
Term: Fixed Term (3 years)
Closing date: 04/02/2018

We seek a motivated, experienced scientist for data analytics of human movement patterns for early assessment of childhood neuropsychiatric disorders, especially autism. This Hawthorne Fellowship is a generous 3-year senior post-doctoral post to achieve earlier diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders in very young children and infants using cutting-edge wearable and smart sensor technologies. You will be part of multidisciplinary Laboratory for Innovation in Autism, a cross-disciplinary research centre between Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Psychology, and Education with clinical application in Neuropsychiatry.

At Strathclyde we have particular expertise in movement analysis with spin-out companies that include Vicon and the Silent Herdsman. We have psychological expertise in the role of movement and embodiment in child development and developmental neuropsychology. Your work will accelerate the development of novel, smart movement-sensing technologies for the ecological analysis of children’s motor patterns as a route to early assessment and diagnosis. You will work within an international network of clinical, educational, and academic partners to better characterise children’s motor performance during ecological iPad gameplay or during real-world activities with wearable sensors. 

As Hawthorne Fellow in Autism Innovation you will: (i) contribute improved iPad data analytics to assess children’s motor patterns using wearable during gameplay (see http://www.nature.com/articles/srep31107) as part of a large EU H2020 diagnostic trial with the Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre and with a trial at the University of Southern California; (2) collaborate with autism leaders at Deakin and Melbourne Universities on analysis of whole-body movement of children; (3) and contribute your creativity and vision to build a lab that seeks innovative technological solutions to identification of risk for neurodevelopmental disorder at birth.  To this end, we are currently engaged in plans for a whole-population birth cohort with the next generation of wearable IMUs. 

This is an exciting opportunity to join our laboratory and to shape its development.  We seek an experienced data or research scientist who has a track record and momentum, and who now seeks to consolidate this experience and accelerate their publication track record in this exciting new field of technological and clinical overlap where we are ahead of the curve.  The analysis of movement data using light-weight wearable IMUs for neuropsychiatric purposes is an emerging field assisted by serious game frameworks for fun and ecological paradigms children enjoy.  We work to define ‘motor signatures’ with computational precision in ecological contexts as important biomarkers for neurodevelopmental disorder.  Such non-invasive, accessible, and accurate assessment holds great potential.  This Hawthorne Fellowship will develop the computational approaches that contribute to early assessment from deep psychological perspective of embodiment in mental health and autism (http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnint.2013.00049/).

We seek a highly-motivated data scientist or human movement scientists broadly considered (psychologist, biomedical engineer, neuroscientist) with expertise in data analytics and machine or deep learning, and inspired to develop early assessment technologies, analytics, and paradigms.  A good honours degree and PhD (or, exceptionally, equivalent professional experience) in any of Digital Health, Psychology, Neuroscience, Biomedical Engineering, Biomechanics, or Electrical and Electronic Engineering, plus relevant research experience to enable the delivery and dissemination of independent research.  Candidates will have a body of published research in the field, in high quality publications and demonstrate previous research experience in a relevant discipline.  Interest in neurodevelopmental disorders or wearables sensors in digital health is a significant benefit.  

The postholder will become a team leader, supervising PhD students, junior post-docs, and lead on dissemination of research results and impact.  The successful candidate will lead on sourcing research funding and grant application writing, as Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator.  In this first instance, you will provide data analytics for ongoing projects supported by the EU H2020, EPSRC, Carnegie Trust, and Scottish Government.  As the work develops, you will be expected to secure grants and develop the aims of the lab. The post is initially 3 years fixed term, with the possibility for extension on successful grant funding.  

The Laboratory for Innovation in Autism is situated in the city centre of Glasgow next to the Technology and Innovation Centre at the University of Strathclyde. 

Informal enquiries about the post can be directed to Dr Jonathan Delafield-Butt, Reader in Autism and Child Development (jonathan.delafield-butt@strath.ac.uk, +44 (0)141 444 8053).

Formal interviews for this post will be held on Friday, 16 February 2018.

Click here for full details