The Musculoskeletal Digital Innovation and Informatics (MDI²) Program and the Spine Division in the Department of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School have an immediate opening for an outstanding, highly motivated Postdoctoral Research Fellow to work on several image processing and modeling projects to assist with clinical decision making in patients with spinal deformities. The Postdoctoral Research Fellow will work with a multidisciplinary team of biomedical engineers, orthopedic surgeons, and computer and data scientists to develop algorithms to analyze medical images (e.g., MRI and CT).
This fellowship opportunity is primarily focused on translational research with immediate impact on clinical care of patients with a range of spinal conditions, through publication of novel findings and development of computational tools used by clinicians. The postdoctoral fellow will have joint appointments at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School and will benefit from access to the largest medical R&D community in the world (Longwood/Boston), along with numerous career development resources offered by Harvard University and its affiliated hospitals and research centers.
Required skills and experience
- PhD in mechanical or biomechanical engineering or a related field.
- Strong foundation in analytical and computational geometry and in 3D rigid-body kinematics. For example, definition and construction of coordinate systems, spatial transformations and transformation matrices, and the properties and limitations of common rotation representations, together with an understanding of why anatomically referenced frames are a prerequisite for meaningful comparison between subjects.
- Experience working with medical images and/or 3D geometric data (e.g., volumetric images, surface meshes, point clouds).
- Expertise with Python.
- Expertise with finite element analysis.
- Demonstrated independent research output (e.g., first-author publications) and the ability to carry a loosely specified problem through to a result.
Desired skills and experience
- Experience with generative AI and large vision models.
- Basic knowledge of human spine anatomy, biomechanics, and pathology.
Appointment
This is a full-time position renewed annually based on the applicant's performance.
How to apply
Send the following materials to MDI2.Program@childrens.harvard.edu:
- Curriculum vitae.
- A copy of a technical paper.
- A paragraph stating your goals.
- Contact information for three references.