Florida International University is classified by Carnegie as a “R1: Doctoral Universities - Highest Research Activity” and recognized as a Carnegie Community Engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in fields such as business, engineering, computer science, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida’s anchor institutions, FIU contributes almost $9 billion each year to the local economy and is ranked second in Florida in Forbes Magazine’s “America’s Best Employers” list. FIU graduates are consistently among the highest paid college graduates in Florida and are among the leaders of public and private organizations throughout South Florida. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission with multiple state-of-the-art research facilities including the Wall of Wind Research and Testing Facility, FIU’s Medina Aquarius Program and the Advanced Materials Engineering Research Institute. FIU has awarded more than 220,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, the Miami Beach Urban Studios, and Tianjin, China. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and more than 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.
The Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Florida International University invites applications for a post-doctoral research associate to join the Systems Neuroscience and Rehabilitation (SNR) lab in the Department of Physical Therapy, directed by Dr. Laura Miller McPherson. We seek motivated candidates with a strong interest in understanding neural control of movement in individuals with and without neurological injury.
The SNR lab investigates the ways in which changes in neural drive to muscle following neurological injury are associated with clinical motor deficits. Our work centers around the study of motor unit population behavior, recorded from multiple muscles simultaneously using non-invasive high-density surface EMG motor unit decomposition. We couple this approach with analysis of joint torques, statistical signal processing techniques, and stimulation of the nervous system. The overall goal is to generate neuroscientific findings that inform the development of targeted physical therapy interventions, elucidate physiologic changes associated with current interventions, and advance understanding of nervous system function.
The post-doctoral research associate will work under the mentorship of Dr. McPherson to grow his/her scientific and technical expertise, knowledge about the field of neural control of movement, and professional development. He or she will be responsible primarily for implementing ongoing studies in individuals with multiple sclerosis, post-stroke, or without neurological injury, as well as initiating the development of new studies. The successful candidate will also work with Dr. McPherson to supervise Doctor of Physical Therapy student lab members who participate in data collection and analysis.
There will also be many opportunities to interact and collaborate with investigators in neural engineering/neurorehabilitation from FIU’s Department of Biomedical Engineering as well as multiple collaborators at other universities.
Candidates should have a PhD in biomedical engineering, neuroscience, kinesiology, biomechanics, rehabilitation sciences, or related field.
Strong candidates should have:
· Expertise in signal analysis and other quantitative experimental approaches
· Experience in research with human participants
· Proficiency in Matlab
· Excellent writing and oral presentation skills
· The ability to work independently as well as part of a team
· Motivation to learn about new experimental approaches, neurophysiology, and the field of rehabilitation
Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience.
Qualified candidates are encouraged to apply by emailing a curriculum vitae, letter of interest that includes research experience and interests, and the names and contact information for at least three references to Dr. Laura McPherson at laura.mcpherson@fiu.edu. To receive full consideration, application and required materials must be received by 5/10/2017. Application review will continue until the position is filled. The anticipated starting date will be Summer 2017.
For more information, contact Dr. Laura McPherson by email at laura.mcpherson@fiu.edu or by phone at at (305) 348-2265.
Florida International University is a member of the State University System of Florida and is an Equal Opportunity, Equal Access, and Affirmative Action Employer.
Laura Miller McPherson, PT, DPT, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Physical Therapy
Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Florida International University
AHC3 - 424
11200 SW 8th Street
Miami, FL 33199
305-348-2265
laura.mcpherson@fiu.edu