Research Scientist - UVA Center for Applied Biomechanics

[Matthew Panzer]

The University of Virginia, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, is seeking applicants for a Research Scientist position at the Center for Applied Biomechanics. General duties will include managing complex experimental projects including designing, conducting, analyzing, and reporting on results. The Research Scientist will assist in the development of new research projects with a special emphasis on military projects as well as longitudinal surveys of specialty populations towards the potential for injury. The position will also include supervision of graduate research assistants, technical staff, and junior researchers in project-specific tasks.

Required qualifications include:

• A Ph.D. in Mechanical, or Biomedical Engineering, with emphasis in orthopaedics, and with a background in biomechanics or closely related field
• A minimum of four years of experience in injury biomechanics, biomechanics testing, instrumentation and testing using cadavers, dummies, and volunteers, mechanical design and the development of signal processing algorithms using Matlab. Experience must include the following:
  • Minimum of two years of demonstrated experience with impact biomechanics testing (e.g., sports, automotive, military), experimental protocol design, test procedure documentation, technical report preparation, and active participation in a multi-disciplinary research team comprised of senior support staff, graduate students, and other researchers in a dynamic testing environment.
  • Fundamental understanding of the unique injury mechanisms associated with high-rate loadings to the human body.
  • Minimum of three years of direct and demonstrable experience with mechanical system design, including proficiency with computer aided design (CAD) software.
  • Minimum of three years of direct and demonstrable experience with each of the following:
    • set-up and operation of high speed data acquisition systems including DTS products such as SLICE, SLICE Pro and TDAS
    • set-up and operation of high speed digital imager systems including Memrecam products such as the GX1 (or equivalent)
    • set-up and use of high-energy test devices in biomechanical testing applications, including the development and implementation of control algorithms and integration of the test device operation with peripheral test systems (e.g., Vicon, ARAMIS)
    • expertise with Vicon motion capture, including camera setup, operation, processing using predefined validated anatomical models, and the development of customized processing algorithms for subject-specific kinematic transformation and analysis
    • Direct and demonstrable knowledge in scientific statistical analyses for quantitative hypothesis testing
    • Minimum of five years of demonstrable proficiency in high-quality technical writing, and a proven publishing record
    • Demonstrable knowledge in kinematic and kinetic biomechanical data analyses, including development and implementation of customized filtering algorithms, development and implementation of inverse dynamics algorithms, rigid body kinematic transformations, and error analyses
    • Demonstrable knowledge in scientific computer programming for the development and implementation of advanced data analysis algorithms in a common scientific programming language (e.g. Matlab)
    • Demonstrate experience in working with a diverse group of researchers and sponsors with varying technical expertise.

Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Please include a CV/Resume, Cover Letter and Contact Information for 3 References - name, email, phone.

For further information and to apply to this posting, please refer to https://jobs.virginia.edu and reference Posting Number 0619329.