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PhD positions in mobile health for sleep interventions

Universität Ulm

PhD position in mobile health for sleep interventions at the Institute for Biomedical Enginering at University of Ulm, Germany. In collaboration with ETH Zürich, the University of Zürich and the University Hospitals of Zürich, Switzerland. Likely starting date: summer 2021.

Project background

Sleep is central for a healthy life and yet many humans do not sleep enough. To date, no long-​term solution exists that can improve sleep. This project is part of SleepLoop,  an interdisciplinary consortium of researchers who aim to enhance the function of sleep with technology. Our institute has taken the lead in developing high quality, wearable systems to perform closed loop sleep enhancement for use in research and medical applications. This project will contribute to the advancement of this technology.

Job description

The aim of this project is to fundamentally change how brain waves are processed during the night. With the help of our mobile EEG (MHSL-SleepBand) we have recorded numerous nights of healthy subjects and patients. You will use this dataset to develop new algorithms to optimize auditory stimulation and generate maximal impact of this intervention. 

The project will be performed in the research group of Prof. Walter Karlen.

Your profile

You should hold a MSc degree preferably in electrical or computer engineering, informatics and computer science, or related areas. Previous experience and knowledge in biomedical data processing is not required, but you are expected to show a strong interest in health and physiology. You must demonstrate proficiency in written and oral English, as well as maturity and self-motivation.  We expect you to appreciate collaborating in a diverse, interdisciplinary and multicultural team to jointly and systematically address grand scientific challenges. Above all, you should be curious and passionate about what you do.


For further information please contact Prof. Dr. Walter Karlen by e-mail (no application documents). 

We look forward to receiving your application with the following documents:

  • CV
  • Motivation letter
  • Relevant certificates (e.g. obtained degrees, transcripts)


This position is available for as long it is posted on our website. Please note that we exclusively accept applications via email to bmt(at)uni-ulm.de.

PhD in Sleep Modulation

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About us

The Institute of Biomedical Engineering at University of Ulm was founded in 2021 to research new methods and approaches for digital health and medical wearables. We develop mobile health (mHealth) systems and design machine learning approaches to deliver personalized medical services and interventions with the goal to improve patient outcomes and quality of life. We are a creative and diverse team who use skills and knowledge in electronics and mechatronics engineering, computer science, physiology, and medical regulation to solve real-world health challenges and translate them into clinical solutions. The team is led by Prof. Dr. Walter Karlen; an established researcher in the field of biomedical signal processing and wearable sensing for health care. He has published widely in medical and engineering journals, has co-founded two start-up companies, and successfully mentored young researchers across the globe.  The Institute of Biomedical Engineering offers an exciting, multidisciplinary research environment with excellent research facilities including a state-of-the-art rapid prototyping lab for wearable development and a human testing and validation center. We have outstanding access to high performance computing infrastructure and secure internet-of-things middlewares. We collaborate locally and internationally with medical institutions and other established research groups.


Ulm University in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany was founded in 1967 and is consistently among the best 15 German research universities. Over 10,000 people from over 100 countries study, research and work at Ulm University. We offer an attractive and future-oriented course catalogue and cutting-edge research programs across four faculties: Medicine, Engineering, Computer Sciences and Psychology, Mathematics and Economics, and Natural Sciences. As a young research university, we are oriented towards the global challenges of the future: 12 strategic and interdisciplinary research themes are contributing to improvements in the areas of ageing, sustainability, technologies of the future as well as human health and well-being. Ulm University is the driving force behind the Science City of Ulm, a hub of university and other research institutions, maximum-care hospitals and technology companies, located in the middle between Stuttgart and Munich.

 

How to apply

We look forward to receiving your application via email with the following documents (one single pdf):

  • cover letter, indicating your career goals, why you are interested in this type of research, why you think you are the best fit for this position and our institute, and the knowledge gap youwill need to fill during your employment to succeed in your career (max 2 pages)
  • detailed CV
  • official undergraduate and graduate transcripts (if graduation date is in the future, indicate expected graduation date)
  • an example of academic writing (e.g., master thesis report, recent first author publications, or similar)
  • contact details of at least 2 references for doctoral candidates and 3 references for post-doc positions (professors/supervisors)

Please note that we exclusively accept applications submitted to the email bmt(at)uni-ulm.de with the subject line “Application …”. Applications received will be acknowledged within a week. Applications via postal services and incomplete applications will not be considered.

Applicants will be screened continuously until the position is filled and the advertisement removed from the current webpage.