Research Scientist - QUARC - Department of Biomechanics

GENERAL REQUISITION INFORMATION

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Job Title

Research Scientist - QUARC - Department of Biomechanics

Job Grade

RA24S

Division

Academic Affairs

College/Dept

College of Education, Health and Human Sciences

Department

Biomechanics

Requisition Number

2026-00239

FTE (full-time equivalency)

1.0

Work Schedule

M-F, 8-5

Does the position provide the opportunity to work Remotely/Telecommuting?

Appointment Term

12- 12/12 months

Is this position essential personnel according to the inclement weather policy?

No

Pay Information

$65,000

Pay Schedule

Annually

FLSA Designation

Exempt

Position Summary

This position is necessary to:

1. Sustain day-to-day analytical operations of QUARC, including data processing, method development, and statistical support for funded projects.

2. Provide expertise in specialized quantitative and AI/ML methods (e.g., recurrence quantification analysis, fractal and complexity analyses, symbolic regression, deep learning, Bayesian modeling) that are central to the Core’s service portfolio.

3. Assist faculty and graduate student investigators with study design, data collection oversight, and manuscript preparation.

4. Support the development and maintenance of open-source software tools (e.g., R packages, MATLAB routines, Python libraries) associated with QUARC’s methodological contributions.

5. Contribute to grant preparation and reporting for Core-affiliated projects.

6. Develop and apply AI/ML pipelines for analysis of large-scale movement, physiological, and behavioral datasets.

Job Duties

Responsibility Area:

Quantitative Data Analysis

Duties:

Perform advanced nonlinear and statistical analyses of human movement, physiological, and behavioral time series data. Methods include but are not limited to: Recurrence Quantification Analysis (RQA), Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA), Sample Entropy, Lyapunov Exponent estimation, Symbolic Regression, fractal analysis, and Bayesian multilevel modeling.

Percentage Of Time

30

Essential Function:

Responsibility Area:

AI/ML Pipeline Development and Application

Duties:

Design, implement, and evaluate machine learning and deep learning models applied to movement, sensor, and physiological data. Applications may include classification, regression, anomaly detection, foundation model fine-tuning, and AI-assisted discovery of governing equations of motion.

Percentage Of Time

15

Essential Function:

Yes

Responsibility Area:

Methods Development and Software Support

Duties:

Develop, test, and maintain computational tools and pipelines in R, MATLAB, and/or Python for Core users. Contribute to open-source packages and reproducible research workflows.

Percentage Of Time

15

Essential Function:

Yes

Responsibility Area:

Methods Development and Software Support

Duties:

Develop, test, and maintain computational tools and pipelines in R, MATLAB, and/or Python for Core users. Contribute to open-source packages and reproducible research workflows.

Percentage Of Time

15

Essential Function:

Yes

Responsibility Area:

Research Collaboration and Consultation

Duties:

Consult with faculty and student investigators on study design, data collection protocols, and appropriate analytical methods. Attend project meetings and contribute to team science efforts across QUARC-affiliated grants.

Percentage Of Time

20

Essential Function:

Yes

Responsibility Area:

Manuscript and Grant Support

Duties:

Assist with writing and editing manuscripts for peer-reviewed publication. Contribute analytical sections, figures, and methods descriptions to grant proposals and progress reports.

Percentage Of Time

15

Essential Function:

Yes

Required and Preferred Qualifications

Required Education

PhD in Biomechanics, Biomedical Engineering, Computational Neuroscience, Applied Mathematics, or a closely related field. ABD (All But Dissertation) candidates will be considered; degree must be completed within six months of hire.

Required Experience

Minimum 2 years of research experience (graduate or postgraduate) involving quantitative analysis of human movement, physiological, or sensor-based time series data.

Required License/Certification

NA

Required Additional Qualifications:

Technical Skills:

o Demonstrated proficiency in R, MATLAB, and/ Python for data analysis and visualization.

o Working knowledge of nonlinear dynamical analysis methods (e.g., differential equations, RQA, entropy measures, fractal analyses).

o Demonstrated experience applying machine learning or deep learning methods to scientific data (e.g., scikit-learn, PyTorch, TensorFlow, or equivalent).

o Familiarity with statistical modeling approaches including multilevel/mixed effects models and Bayesian inference.

o Experience with at least one low-level or compiled programming language (e.g., C, C++, Fortran) for performance-critical computational tasks.

Preferred Education

NA

Preferred Experience

Preferred License/Certification

Preferred Additional Qualifications:

Compliance Requirements

Credit Check

No

Motor Vehicle Licensing Validity Check

No

Pre-employment Physical Request and Assessment

No

Drug Screen

No