Vacature

Are you passionate about shaping the future of healthcare? Do you want to develop technology that truly matters in people’s lives? Join TU Delft in creating radical innovations that support patients at home

Job description

The BODIES group, at the department of Biomechanical Engineering TU Delft seeks a motivated postdoctoral researcher for a full-time, fully funded, 30-month project on Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) shorts to improve gait after stroke. You will work closely with Sint Maartenskliniek and Biomex, embedded in the multidisciplinary “Care is coming home!” program, a 5-year consortium of 2 technical universities (TU Delft, UTwente), 6 hospitals (including Sint Maartenskliniek), 13 companies (including Biomex), 1 rehabilitation centre, and 5 patient organisations (including Hersenletsel.nl and Hersenstichting).

The Challenge

Stroke survivors often have reduced knee flexion and propulsive push-off, impairments with a major impact on mobility and fall risk, with no effective clinical intervention currently available. Recent research showed that FES of the hamstrings during push-off can enhance gait after stroke. This position builds on those findings: you will adapt an existing FES shorts system for stroke rehabilitation, test and optimize it with patients, retrain the stimulation-control algorithm for stroke-specific gait, and evaluate usability, comfort, and fit during prolonged use. You will also initiate adaptable, IMU-based stimulation control synchronized to each patient’s evolving gait dynamics as they recover.

You will:

1. Retrain an IMU-based gait-detection algorithm using stroke-patient data

2. Run patient panels with stroke survivors, with a PhD candidate, to assess fit, comfort, and usability

3. Tune and clinically assess FES stimulation with physical therapists at Sint Maartenskliniek, followed by initial patient testing

4. Develop adaptable FES control using onboard IMU signals

5. Run a pilot home-testing study on continuous gait monitoring, assessing feasibility for future large-scale use

You will translate this into a research plan aimed at peer-reviewed publications, alongside consortium deliverables.