Postdoctoral Fellow in Imaging Photoplethysmography and Vital Sign Monitoring

Project summary

The Arizona Center for Telemedicine and Digital Health at the University of Arizona seeks a postdoctoral fellow to develop and validate imaging photoplethysmography (iPPG/PPGI) methods for noncontact monitoring of vital signs, with emphasis on robust heart‑rate, heart‑rate variability, respiration, and cuffless blood‑pressure estimation. The role combines optical system design, video acquisition, signal processing, machine learning, and clinical validation to produce reproducible, bias‑aware algorithms and datasets suitable for translational research.

Key responsibilities

• Design and implement video acquisition setups (RGB/IR cameras, illumination, synchronization with reference sensors).
• Develop signal‑processing pipelines for motion compensation, denoising, and pulse waveform extraction.
• Build and evaluate machine‑learning models for HR, HRV, respiration, and cuffless BP estimation with rigorous cross‑validation and bias analysis.
• Plan and run human subject studies including protocol design, ground‑truth collection (ECG, cuff BP), and IRB coordination.
• Perform statistical and clinical validation, including error analysis across skin tones, motion conditions, and demographics.
• Document and disseminate results via peer‑reviewed publications, open datasets, and code releases; contribute to grant writing.
• Mentor graduate and undergraduate students working on related tasks.

Required qualifications

• PhD in Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Applied Physics, or related field (completed within last 5 years or imminent).
• Strong background in signal processing and time‑series analysis (filtering, ICA, spectral analysis, pulse extraction).
• Demonstrated experience with computer vision / imaging (camera systems, exposure/frame‑rate control, OpenCV or equivalent).
• Proficiency in programming (Python; libraries such as NumPy, SciPy, PyTorch/TensorFlow, OpenCV).
• Experience designing or running human subject experiments and familiarity with physiological reference devices (ECG, clinical BP cuffs).
• Strong written and oral communication; record of publications or technical reports.

Preferred qualifications

• Prior work on photoplethysmography, remote PPG, or cuffless blood‑pressure estimation.
• Experience with hardware prototyping (embedded systems, camera SDKs, synchronization).
• Knowledge of statistical validation and regulatory considerations for medical devices.
• Experience handling dataset bias and fairness evaluation (skin‑tone robustness).
• Familiarity with real‑time processing and optimization for low‑power platforms.
• Track record of open‑science practices (public datasets, reproducible code).

Skills and competencies

• Technical: optics and imaging fundamentals; advanced signal processing; ML model development and evaluation; software engineering best practices (version control, testing).
• Research: experimental design, IRB protocol drafting, data management, statistical analysis.
• Interpersonal: collaborative teamwork, mentoring, and clear scientific communication.

Compensation and benefits

• Competitive postdoctoral salary consistent with institutional guidelines.
• Full benefits (health, retirement, paid leave).
• Support for conference travel and research expenses.

Join us to be at the forefront of biomedical IoT innovation! Your expertise will help shape the future of personalized healthcare solutions through groundbreaking AI research. This is a paid position committed to fostering your professional growth while making meaningful contributions to health technology advancements.

Pay: $68,000.00 - $84,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance
• Relocation assistance
• Retirement plan
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person