Postdoctoral Researcher - Neurostimulation for Stroke Rehabilitation

Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich; Singapore; On-site; SGD 67,000 - 89,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare insurance

Hybrid work arrangement

Birthday Leave

25 days annual leave

Job summary

Singapore-ETH Centre, established by ETH Zurich, seeks a Postdoctoral Researcher to drive clinical translation of SmartVNS for movement‑paired taVNS in post‑stroke rehabilitation. The role spans inpatient, outpatient, and home settings with close collaboration to NTU and Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

Responsibilities include feasibility studies, algorithm validation, neurophysiological assessments, and integration with robotic rehab tech, while ensuring ethical and regulatory compliance.

Qualifications

• PhD in Biomedical Engineering, Neuroscience, Neurophysiology, or related field.
• Strong interest in neurorehabilitation and translating neurostimulation to clinical practice.
• Experience designing and conducting clinical or human-subject studies.

Responsibilities

• Design feasibility studies of movement‑paired taVNS using the SmartVNS system across inpatient, outpatient and home settings.
• Validate real‑time movement detection and taVNS triggering algorithms; tailor stimulation parameters.
• Investigate taVNS effects on neuroplasticity and upper limb recovery using neurophysiological methods (EEG, TMS) in patients.
• Evaluate combination of taVNS with robotic rehabilitation technologies during clinical and home training.
• Collaborate with hospitals and clinicians; collect and analyze clinical, behavioural and physiological data.
• Supervise PhD researchers, master students and technical staff; disseminate results at conferences and journals.

Skills

Neurorehabilitation

Clinical study design

Human-subject research

Education

PhD in Biomedical Engineering/Neuroscience/Neurophysiology

Tools

TMS

EEG

Wearable sensors / IMU data

taVNS systems

Job description

Postdoctoral Researcher - Neurostimulation for Stroke Rehabilitation

The Singapore-ETH Centre was established in 2010 by ETH Zurich - The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and Singapore’s National Research Foundation (NRF), as part of the NRF’sCREATE campus. As ETH Zurich's only research centre outside of Switzerland, the centre has strengthened the research capacity of ETH Zurich to develop sustainable solutions to global challenges in Switzerland, Singapore and the surrounding regions.

The centre serves as an intellectual hub for research, bringing together principal investigators and researchers from diverse disciplines and backgrounds. To promote the exchange of ideas and expertise, our researchers actively collaborate with universities and research institutes and engage with industry and government agencies to translate knowledge to practical solutions to real-world problems.

Project background

Stroke remains a leading cause of disability worldwide. Although improved early stroke response has reduced mortality, it has also produced a growing population of stroke survivors, intensifying the demand for long‑term rehabilitation and placing a substantial clinical and economic burden on healthcare systems. Because today’s neurorehabilitation model relies heavily on resource‑intensive, therapist‑led care, meeting this demand will require scalable, cost‑effective solutions that extend beyond the clinic and into the home. To address these needs, the first phase of the Future Health Technologies Programme (FHT1) at the Singapore‑ETH Centre (SEC) (https://fht.ethz.ch) developed and piloted innovative upper limb rehabilitation technologies and evaluated them in clinical settings, both in hospital and in the homes of post‑stroke subjects. Building on this foundation, FHT2 aims to scale up these technologies and carry out more extensive clinical evaluation, paving the way for technology‑based clinic‑to‑home rehabilitation to be integrated into Singapore’s healthcare system.

Another limitation of conventional rehabilitation is that it rarely addresses the root cause of impairment directly: the injured brain and its motor and sensory pathways. Research has shown that rehabilitation can be made more efficient by using neurostimulation to drive specific patterns of brain activity, and one promising, scalable approach is transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS), which stimulates the auricular branch of the vagus nerve (VN) at the outer ear in a safe, non‑invasive way. In close collaboration with the spin‑off Skaaltec, the Rehabilitation Engineering Laboratory of ETH Zurich has developed SmartVNS (https://relab.ethz.ch/spin‑off/skaaltec.html), a novel system for automated, movement‑paired taVNS. SmartVNS pairs a wrist‑worn motion tracker with a shoulder‑worn stimulator over a wireless link: it autonomously processes arm‑movement data and delivers taVNS through a custom‑built earpiece electrode at precisely the right moments, promoting well‑timed, short‑term neuroplasticity.

Within FHT2, this project pursues three objectives: (i) to further explore the mechanistic effects of taVNS and optimise stimulation parameters and timing for maximal response in post‑stroke subjects; (ii) to demonstrate the feasibility and clinical applicability of automated, movement‑paired taVNS built on the SmartVNS system; and (iii) to investigate the clinical potential of taVNS as a rehabilitation intervention for stroke patients, first in a clinical environment during conventional therapy and later at home, in combination with robotic technologies developed within FHT2.

As a postdoctoral researcher, your work will focus on the clinical translation of SmartVNS (https://relab.ethz.ch/spin‑off/skaaltec.html), an automated, movement‑paired transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) system. Following a user‑centred approach considering the needs and requirements of post‑stroke subjects and input from clinicians, you will design and conduct feasibility studies of movement‑paired taVNS across the continuum of neurorehabilitation care, in inpatient, outpatient and home settings, and investigate its mechanistic and therapeutic effects on upper limb motor recovery. The work will be performed in close collaboration with our research partners at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH).

Your tasks will include:

• Designing and conducting feasibility studies of movement‑paired taVNS using the SmartVNS system across inpatient, outpatient and home‑based neurorehabilitation settings, assessing patient setup, device functionality, comfort, protocol adherence, tolerance and usability for both patients and therapists.
• Validating algorithms for real‑time movement detection and taVNS stimulation triggering, and tailoring stimulation parameters, timing and thresholds to individual impairment levels.
• Investigating the mechanistic and therapeutic effects of taVNS on neuroplasticity and upper limb motor recovery in post‑stroke subjects, where relevant using neurophysiological methods (e.g., EEG, TMS) directly in patients, as part of the accompanying patient‑based neuroscience research.
• Evaluating the combination of taVNS with robotic rehabilitation technologies (e.g., the RELab tenoexo hand exoskeleton that will be further developed within FHT2) during clinical and home‑based task‑oriented training.
• Clinical validation in post‑stroke subjects in collaboration with local hospitals, including direct interaction with patients and therapists, and the collection and analysis of clinical, behavioural and physiological data.
• Designing and conducting clinical studies, collecting and analysing data, and ensuring compliance with ethical and regulatory requirements.
• Tightly collaborating with PhD researchers and project partners across the FHT2 programme, including a behavioural intervention supporting adherence to home therapy.
• Contributing to the supervision of PhD researchers, master students and technical staff.
• Disseminating research outcomes at international conferences and in peer‑reviewed journals.

You will have:

• A PhD in Biomedical Engineering, Neuroscience, Neurophysiology, Bioengineering or a related field
• A strong interest in neurorehabilitation and in translating neurostimulation and rehabilitation technologies into clinical practice
• Experience in designing and conducting clinical or human‑subject studies, ideally in neurorehabilitation, and strong knowledge of human movement science, usability evaluation and study design
• Understanding of neurophysiology and neurophysiological methodologies such as TMS and EEG, as the project also involves accompanying neuroscience research carried out with patients
• Experience with the collection and analysis of physiological and biosignal data, and ideally wearable sensor / IMU data
• Strong interest in applied translational research and the direct clinical application of rehabilitation technologies
• Motivation to work with clinicians and with post‑stroke subjects
• Prior experience in supervising students in the context of research projects
• Strong verbal and written communication skills in English
• Independence and “get things done mentality”
• Scientific curiosity and motivation to perform scientifically rigorous experimental work
• Desire to expand knowledge and acquire new expertise, work in an international environment

We seek candidates who take ownership of their research and are able to independently drive ideas forward. Successful applicants will actively engage with supervisors and collaborators, seek input when needed, and thoughtfully integrate feedback.

Workplace

We offer

• Accredited with 5 Tripartite Standards by Tripartite Alliance for Fair & Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) Singapore.
• A diverse workplace with 32 nationalities, offeringample opportunitiesfor mutual learning.
• Positive and inclusive working environment.
• 25 days of annual leave for fixed‑term contracts.
• 1 day of Birthday Leave.
• Committed to being a supportive employer as you prioritize your physical and mental wellness.
• Comprehensive healthcare insurance coverage.
• Flexible hybrid work arrangement (up to 2 days per week from home).
• Accredited with NS mark certification.

The Singapore-ETH Centre is an equal opportunity and family‑friendly employer. All candidates will be evaluated on their merits and qualifications, without regards to gender, race, age or religion.

In line with our values , ETH Zurich encourages an inclusive culture. We promote equality of opportunity, value diversity and nurture a working and learning environment in which the rights and dignity of all our staff and students are respected. Visit our Equal Opportunities and Diversity website to find out how we ensure a fair and open environment that allows everyone to grow and flourish. Sustainability is a core value for us – we are consistently working towards a climate‑neutral future .

Curious? So are we.

For further information, please contact: Prof. Dr Olivier LAMBERCY (ETH Zurich),[e-mail], (no applications).

The Singapore-ETH Centre provides a multicultural and interdisciplinary environment to researchers working on diverse themes focussed on sustainable and liveable cities, resilient urban systems, and patient‑centric healthcare. The centre is home to a community of over 100 doctoral, postdoctoral and professorial researchers working in three main programmes: Future Cities Laboratory, Future Resilient Systems, and Future Health Technologies.

Work location: 1 Create Way, CREATE Tower, Singapore 138602 (NUS University Town)
Contract Duration: 2 Years

Remuneration will be commensurate with the candidate's qualifications and relevant experience.

Further information about The Singapore-ETH Centre can be found on our website .