Analysis of central and peripheral physiological signals to optimize mental and physical expenditure in elite athletes

1 Research Collaborator position
(Deadline August 31st, 2021 12:00 )
Fields

Portable devices, Mental Training, EEG, Neural Efficiency, ECG, EOG, EMG, PPG, GSR.

Profile
IMT Lucca invites applications for a Research Collaborator with a strong background in central and peripheral physiological signal acquisition and analysis in humans. The ideal candidate should have a significant research experience with the simultaneous collection, pre-processing and advanced analysis of different physiological data collected through portable devices, including electroencephalography (EEG), electrooculography (EOG), electromyography (EMG), photopletismography (PPG), electrocardiography (ECG) and galvanic skin response (GSR). Strong programming skills are also required, including a previous experience in the developing of automated softwares for the real-time analysis of physiological signals. Good record of research experience and research outcomes related to the field of neuroscience and in particular of neural efficiency and neural fatigue are preferential.
Activity
The appointed candidate will participate in a research project aimed at developing new real-time methods for assessing both mental and physical expenditure from multiple physiological signals acquired  during demanding tasks using non-invasive portable devices. The project will be conducted in strong collaboration with Formula Medicine srl, a company with a validated expertise in the field of the "mental training". Based on the experience gained in over 30 years of activity with top-level professionals, Formula Medicine is able to provide complete and unique support to any athlete, from a medical, physiotherapeutic, mental, and athletic point of view. The candidate will contribute to design new experimental protocols intended to define a complex set of physiological parameters able to assess the level of attention, the neural efficiency and the capacity to manage mental and physiological stress of the subject while performing different tasks and to predict performance breakdowns and increased level of mental fatigue and/or drowsiness. In this context, the candidate will perform a complete review of the literature in order to identify the best candidates among all the potentially informative features that can be derived from both central and peripheral physiological signals, as well as to recognize among all the currently available devices those providing the best compromise between signal-quality and portability. Moreover, the candidate will be involved in the data acquisition sessions and in the development of automated softwares able to extract in real-time the defined set of physiological parameters. The candidate should guaranteee an almost constant presence at the Formula Medicina spaces in Viareggio (Lucca, Italy).
Formal requirements
  • Master degree in Biomedical Engineering, Psychology or related fields;
  • Excellent knowledge of both written and spoken English.
Specific requirements
  • Good track record of research experience and outcomes related to the field of this position;
  • Experience with the recording and analysis of EEG data.
  • Experience with the recording and analysis of multiple peripheral physiological signals including ECG, EOG, EMG, PPG, GSR.
Gross amount

Approximately € 20350/year 

Duration

1 year

Job Research Area: 
NS
Job Research Unit: 
MOMILAB
Job Contract Type: 
Assegno di ricerca

Application

Apply ONLINE only.
Before starting prepare the application attachments and information as listed below.

Info

  • Personal info and contact info (compulsory)
  • Number of your Identity Document (Passport or Identity Card) (compulsory)
  • University degree and ongoing PhD (compulsory)

Attachments

  • Your CV in English (compulsory)