Applicants are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Electrical and Computer Engineering programme. The position is available as soon as possible but no later than 01 January 2025. You can submit your application via the link under 'how to apply'.
Title:
Combining Bio-Impedance and EEG for reliable mobile EEG
Research area and project description:
The European Doctoral Network for Neural Prostheses and Brain Research (DONUT) is a 4-years EU-Horizon Europe Marie Sklodowska-Curie Doctoral Network project that is aimed to bring together leading experts from several European universities with the mission to provide a multidisciplinary and intersectoral Doctoral Network for talented young researchers (Doctoral Candidates). The network connects leading scientists and institutions with several industries over different research fields, providing opportunities for young researchers to gain experience in translational research in electroencephalography (EEG)-based measurements and Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) applications, healthcare, and industry.
Ph.D. project description:
An exciting development in modern neuroscience is the advent of mobile EEG recording devices. These have been made possible by improvements in batteries, materials, and electronics design, and are presenting opportunities for new devices for health monitoring (sleep, epilepsy, etc.), treatment, and user assistance such as brain-computer interfaces.
However, with new opportunities also come new challenges. When EEG recordings are moved out of the controlled environment of the laboratory, possible issues with the signal quality grow exponentially. This can be due to damage to equipment, incorrect use, or simply body movement and muscle activity. In this way, connection issues may be both brief or near constant, and they can influence the recorded signal in very different ways. Additionally, due to their similar frequency ranges, it can be difficult to distinguish between the disturbances and actual EEG signals. The recent move from wet to dry-contact electrodes has only made the problem more pertinent as the impedance of the electrode-skin interface for dry-contact electrodes is often several orders of magnitude larger than the impedance for wet electrode interfaces. In addition, impedance mismatches between the electrodes are also typically higher for dry-contact electrodes compared to wet electrodes. These characteristics require carefully designed electrical instrumentation to obtain high-quality EEG measurements.
Using modern, advanced integrated electronics, it is possible to measure the impedance (and so the quality of the electrode contact) between electrode and skin, even for mobile systems with dry-contact electrodes. By repeatedly measuring it, we can obtain not only a rapidly updated status on the electrode contact but also ground truth labels, which can be used in designing a pipeline for post-hoc labeling of the recordings.
During this research, continuous and semi-continuous bio-impedance measurements will be investigated. The bio-impedance measurement features low-noise current injection, large dynamic range, and high resolution. While being technical in nature, the project would have a huge impact on wearable EEG, and through that, developments in real-life uses of neuroscience. Estimating signal quality is a hugely important task when developing and deploying new devices, which may be overlooked when planning the project. The proposed project would culminate in a general recipe for a solution that could be implemented across devices, helping to lift the entire field.
Salary, holiday payment, pension contributions and the like include all employer and employee's taxes and contributions. Thus, figures are before taxes are paid, and taxes may differ depending on individual circumstances. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement, and salary is depending on seniority. Salary includes a non-pensionable PhD supplement. The allowances mentioned in the EU work programme (living allowance, mobility allowance and, if applicable, family allowance) will be part of the salary. Allowance rates can be found in the relevant EU Work Programme (under MSCA doctoral network - Applicable unit contributions), and country correction coefficient can be found in the same document.
Project description. For technical reasons, you must upload a project description. Please simply copy the project description above and upload it as a PDF in the application.
Qualifications and specific competences:
We are looking for highly motivated and independent studentswilling to take on the challenge to do a successful 3-year Ph.D. programme at Aarhus University. The design will have tape-out in nanoscale CMOS technologies. The successful candidate will work in an interdisciplinary team of people from different fields, and close collaboration with industry partners.
The ideal candidate will have all or most of the following profile:
Language Proficiency:
Team Collaboration:
Motivation:
Flexibility:
Initiative and Proactivity:
Preferred Experience:
Specific Requirements
Languages:
Place of employment and place of work:
The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Finlandsgade 22, 8200 Aarhus.
EU eligibility requirements in Marie Curie Doctoral Networks:
Contacts:
Applicants seeking further information are invited to contact:
How to apply:
Please follow this link to submit your application.
Application deadline is Tuesday 30 April 2024 at 23:59 CEST.
Starting date can be as soon as possible but no later than 01 January 2025.
For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our application guide.
Please note:
Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants. All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement.