加拿大英属哥伦比亚大学博士后奖学金——“对紧急情况和灾害进行及时和广泛监测”
Postdoctoral Fellowships in Monitoring Patients in Emergencies and Disasters
Project: Timely and Extended Monitoring in Emergencies and Disasters (Tx MED)
An interdisciplinary UBC team (from engineering and medical fields) jointly has openings for two engineering-oriented postdoctoral fellows for one-year term, with possibilities of prolonging beyond that. The positions will be offered in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UBC. Please see jobs details below:
JOB INFORMATION
Term: July 2022 – June 2023
Stipend: $60,000/year (including benefits)
PROJECT SUMMARY
Overcrowding in Emergency Departments (EDs) is a major challenge for the BC and Canadian health systems, and has been severely exacerbated by COVID-19. Such overcrowding results in 1) long waiting and treatment times for patients needing ED services; 2) health professionals being unable to rigorously monitor all patients in the ED and having to prioritize equipment and attention to the sicker patients with impaired ability to detect deterioration of the less sick; 3) health system planners being unable to systematically analyze cumulative ED overcrowding data for future surge management. As a part of a partnership between The University of British Columbia and Rogers Communications, the project “Timely and Extended Monitoring in Emergencies and Disasters (Tx MED)” leverages the modern wireless infrastructure, including the 5G networks, to improve emergency and disaster management in three scenarios: 1) systematic and real-time monitoring of patients with low-cost sensors in the ED, post-ED and disaster contexts, for patient safety and timely decisions; 2) data analytics to monitor patient movements in ED or in disaster zones to ensure optimal patient flow and manage overcrowding through machine learning; 3) extending patient monitoring into their homes after discharge to ensure continuity of patient safety. Tx MED leverages sensors, wearables, and data analytics as a scalable and adaptive hardware and software platform, able to address the needs for the three mentioned challenges.
JOBS SUMMARY AND CONTEXT
The two postdoctoral fellows (PDF1 and PDF2) will be integrated into a strongly interdisciplinary team, including, among others, experienced medical specialists from Vancouver General Hospital. The expectations are that they both very motivated and their complementary expertise will enable the development of a successful project, with wide future perspectives.
PDF1 will be predominantly hardware oriented, with expertise in sensors (especially medical sensors), sensor networks, sensor circuit interfaces, embedded systems, signal processing, data acquisition and wireless data transmission. PDF2 will focus more on the software layer of the platform on the server/cloud side, to develop a flexible software architecture for data acquisition on multiple channels, data storage in an efficient database system, data processing (including machine learning and other modern data science techniques) and information visualization using custom interfaces. It is expected that PDF1 and PDF2 will closely interact in developing the target extensible platform, leading to practical demonstration cases for testing and validation.
ORGANIZATIONAL STATUS
The two PDFs will work under the direct supervision of Prof. Edmond Cretu (Electrical and Computer Eng.), Prof. Shahriar Mirabbasi (Electrical and Computer Eng.), Prof. Bhushan Gopaluni (Chemical and Biological Eng.) and Prof. Kendall Ho (Emergency Medicine). The successful candidates will also work closely with nurses and medical personnel from Vancouver General Hospital, graduate students and other project partners. These positions are jointly funded by Rogers and Mitacs.
EDUCATION AND/OR WORK EXPERIENCE
Candidates must have a PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field, with expertise connected to the jobs summary. Preference will be given to candidates with experience in combining theoretical design, analysis and simulation with experimental work. Relevant experience with medical systems, previous industrial experience are supplementary assets. Successful applicants will have an outstanding academic record and a demonstrated aptitude for both independent and team-based research.
TASKS
More specific and detailed tasks will be discussed during the interviews. A high level perspective includes:
•Design, develop, and pilot a platform for the monitoring of medical status of patients
•Collaborate with graduate students and other researchers and staff involved in the project
•Present findings on a regular basis to supervisors and team members
•Liaise with project partners
•Other duties as assigned
SKILLS
General skills (for both PDF1 and PDF2)
•Excellent organizational skills (project management skills)
•Excellent communication skills, both oral and written
•Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills
•Comfortable working alone and in team settings
Specific expected skills for PDF1:
•practical circuit design and system building knowledge for sensor systems using off-the-shelf components (PCB design, soldering and assembly)
•programming embedded systems (e.g. microcontrollers, Raspberry Pi, etc)
•familiar with wireless communication systems
•able to implement signal processing algorithms (in Julia, Python, or other scientific programming language)
Specific expected skills for PDF2:
•knowledge about database operations, suitable for collecting and storing time series oriented data on multiple channels (e.g. NoSQL ,time series databases, etc.)
•programming experience for building interactive boards or other forms of interactive GUIs, for effective data visualization
•knowledge of concepts and techniques for data science (e.g. probabilistic, Markov chain modeling, cluster analysis, etc.), pattern identification and machine learning
REMOTE WORK AND COVID-19 CONTINGENCIES
The candidates are expected to do both design and practical, experimental work, and interact with various team members on a regular basis. Nevertheless, the present global COVID-19 pandemic requires us to consider preventive measures as well. The successful candidates will be assigned an on-campus work station that allows for appropriate physical distancing, but may be required at times to work remotely, in response to local public health guidelines.
APPLICATIONS
Please submit a resume and cover letter (motivating your interest), attn: Dr.Edmond Cretu (edmondc@ece.ubc.ca) and Dr. Kendall Ho (Kendall.Ho@ubc.ca) by July 4, 2022. Only those short listed will be contacted. If we find suitable candidates, hiring may happen before this date. UBC hires on the basis of merit and is committed to employment equity. All qualified persons are encouraged to apply. We welcome applications from members of visible minority groups, women, Aboriginal persons, persons with disabilities, persons of minority sexual orientations and gender identities, and others with the skills and knowledge to engage productively with diverse communities. Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.
This posting is for the UBC Vancouver campus in British Columbia, Canada.
Please refer to reference number NC-56232 during correspondence about this position. Please visit the researcher profiles of the supervisors (1, 2) for this position to learn more about their research.
Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person.
About UBC
The University of British Columbia is a global centre for research and teaching, consistently ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world. Since 1915, UBC’s entrepreneurial spirit has embraced innovation and challenged the status quo. UBC encourages its students, staff and faculty to challenge convention, lead discovery and explore new ways of learning. At UBC, bold thinking is given a place to develop into ideas that can change the world.
Postdoctoral Fellows at UBC Vancouver
UBC is home to over 900 postdocs spanning all faculties and units across two campuses and a variety of affiliated hospitals, research centres, and sites, providing unparalleled opportunities to learn, discover and contribute in one’s own way. UBC’s Postdoctoral Fellows Office (PDFO) is committed to supporting the lives and career aspirations of our Postdocs, with the goal of enriching their experience at UBC and preparing them for the future. In addition to providing support and advocacy for all postdocs, the PDFO is dedicated to providing professional development opportunities that foster the development of soft skills needed in today’s professional environments, helping them secure future careers in their chosen fields.
About UBC’s Faculty of Applied Science
The Faculty of Applied Science comprises a unique constellation of disciplines – including the Schools of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, Community and Regional Planning and Nursing, as well as all engineering activities at both the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses. Our work and the professional disciplines we represent span the entire human-centred built environment and innovation at all scales – from nanoscale electronic devices that power communications to the design of entire cities.
There has never been a more urgent time for our professions – as planners, architects, nurses and engineers – to come together to build upon our existing strengths and ambitions to ensure a thriving society, to make real impact locally and globally.
With a community of over 300 full-time faculty members and more than 8,600 students across our undergraduate and graduate programs, we shape the leaders and professions that shape the world.
About Vancouver
Vancouver is a dynamic, cosmopolitan and progressive city, consistently ranked as one of the top cities to live in the world. Canada’s third largest city has it all: sea, parks, mountains, beaches, and four seasons per year, including beautiful summers and mild, wet winters with snow in the mountains. It’s the perfect backdrop to your academic research.