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Graduate Student Positions in Locomotor Neuromechanics at the University of Illinois

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  • Graduate Student Positions in Locomotor Neuromechanics at the University of Illinois

    The Locomotor Expertise and Rehabilitation Lab at the University of Illinois at Chicago (www.locomotor.uic.edu) is actively seeking new masters and PhD students from a range of backgrounds including kinesiology, physical therapy, engineering, neuroscience, and rehabilitation. Experience programming with Matlab is an asset, and research experience using motion capture, force plates, and EMG are desirable. Students interested in pursuing a PhD should have a master’s degree in a relevant field. Strongest consideration will be given to applicants with good communication and teamwork skills who are creative and interested in the neuromechanics of locomotion and balance. Graduate students may be admitted to the Kinesiology graduate program, the Rehabilitation Sciences graduate program, or the Bioengineering graduate program. Research and teaching assistantships are available for qualified students. This is a 12-month position and includes a competitive stipend and tuition coverage.

    What is research like in the Locomotor Expertise and Rehabilitation Lab? Among other things we are developing novel tools to assess fall risk, studying the perceptual basis of falls, and trying to help individuals with lower limb loss improve their balance. You can learn more about past and present projects on our lab’s Publications page www.locomotor.uic.edu/publications/ and our Projects page www.locomotor.uic.edu/projects/

    What will you work on? We are currently seeking enthusiastic, creative, and independent graduate students to work in four areas:

    1. Development of a quick, inexpensive, and graded test of walking balance. This project seeks to develop a clinically feasible test for fall risk that addresses the specific issue of ceiling effects that plague most clinical tests of walking balance.

    2. Perception of Instability. This project is aimed at understanding how the perception of instability (error detection) contributes to walking balance proficiency across the spectrum of motor skill.

    3. Mechanisms of Balance Proficiency Revealed by Failures. This project is fundamental research aimed at identifying neuromechanical mechanisms of intra- and inter-limb coordination for better walking balance. Specifically, this project will identify how intra- and inter-limb patterns of muscle coordination differ between successful and failed attempts at balance recovery.

    4. Physical Guidance for Intuitive Balance Assistance and Correction. This objective of this project is to determine an intuitive basis for the use of physical guidance in locomotor balance rehabilitation by developing a better understanding of how and when we correct our own movement errors. The long-term goal of this project is to translate results from human experiments to the design and control of rehabilitation robots.

    The doctoral program in Kinesiology at UIC was ranked among the top five in the U.S. by a recent survey conducted by the National Research Council. The Department of Kinesiology is housed within the College of Applied Health Sciences and fosters a collaborative environment with students and faculty from multiple departments across the campus. The department/college has strong research programs in biomechanics, neural-control of movement, and fall prevention.

    Chicago is a diverse and exciting place to live. Lake Michigan and the international culture provide a rich background for your development as a person and scientist. If you are interested and qualified, please contact Andrew Sawers, PhD (asawers@uic.edu) before December 1, 2015. In your email please include the following: 1) your CV, 2) a short 1-page letter of research interests, and 3) 1-2 letters of reference. For fullest consideration, applicants should identify the graduate program from those listed above that they wish to apply to, and submit all application materials by the required deadline.

    Andrew Sawers, PhD
    Assistant Professor
    Department of Kinesiology
    University of Illinois @ Chicago
    asawers@uic.edu
    www.locomotor.uic.edu
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