Clinical Research Fellow in Neuroimaging for Sports Medicine at University of Oxford

We are seeking to appoint a highly motivated Clinical Research Fellow in Neuroimaging, to work within the recently established Podium Institute for Sports Medicine at the University of Oxford. This full-time post is fixed-term for 12 months in the first instance, with the potential for extension for up to 2 further years, subject to funding. The postholder will work under the supervision of Professor Constantin Coussios and Professor Peter Jezzard.

Established in October 2022, the Podium Institute sits within the Institute of Biomedical Engineering (IBME) in the University’s Department of Engineering Science and is supported by a £25m 10-year donation to the University. It constitutes a world-unique ecosystem within which to develop and validate new technologies for the diagnosis, prevention, and management of sport injuries, with a particular emphasis on safety rather than performance in the community and youth sport (11-18 years of age).

You will work collaboratively across the Institute of Biomedical Engineering and the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences. You will be part of an interdisciplinary team of researchers with the main aim to develop the next generation of neuroimaging and sensing technologies to construct new personalised biomarkers of health in the context of evidence-based interdisciplinary sports injury prevention strategies. In particular, you will be responsible for the design and execution of the neuroimaging aspects of several multi-modal studies seeking to assess and quantify the effect of repetitive head impacts on short-term and long-term neurological function. This will involve (i) the design, preparation and defence of imaging protocols for ethical approval; (ii) the design, development and validation of sport-specific imaging sequences (particularly MRI and fMRI) for assessing mild Traumatic Brain Injury and so-called sport-related concussion, and (iii) the development of neuroimaging metrics to identify patterns of meaningful physiological change and enable their direct comparison to the outputs of brain modelling informed by multimodal sensing modalities such as video cameras, body-worn sensors such as smart mouthguards, and flexible wearable sensors.

Reporting to the Institute Director, you will help ensure healthy and vibrant research environment within The Podium Institute for Sports Medicine at the University of Oxford, by working closely and collaboratively with the four appointed APNTFs in Brain Health, Sports Technologies, AI for Sport and Technologies for mental health. This will involve leading, devising, coordinating, supervising and contributing to research projects of direct or tangential relevance to neuroimaging, including the work involved in the collaborations with project partners, guidance to researchers and students, and applying for further funding to extend the research.

You should possess a relevant PhD/DPhil with postgraduate qualifications and work experience in the field of neuroimaging.  You will also have a medical degree, completed foundation training, and hold GMC registration with a license to practice. You should have experience in conducting research in clinical neuroimaging, as well as the ability to work independently to achieve agreed goals and to encourage and develop productive collaborations.

Informal enquiries may be addressed to constantin.coussios@eng.ox.ac.uk.

For more information about working at the Department, see  www.eng.ox.ac.uk/about/work-with-us/

Only online applications received before midday on 10 October 2023 can be considered. You will be required to upload a covering letter/supporting statement, CV and the details of two referees as part of your online application. 

The Department holds an Athena Swan Bronze award, highlighting its commitment to promoting women in Science, Engineering and Technology.