The School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering (CSEE)

The School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering (CSEE) is a large and dynamic department in the Faculty of Science and Health. The School is internationally known for its research in a range of areas and offers an excellent education to its students.

The Brain-Computer Interfaces and Neural Engineering (BCI-NE) laboratory

CSEE hosts the BCI-NE lab that was founded in 2004 and is today one of the largest and best equipped in Europe and the top laboratory for non-invasive BCIs and human cognitive augmentation in the UK. For two decades, the lab has produced highly visible internationally leading research, peer reviewed publications and frequent media presence, with international (MIT, NASA JPL, ESA, Harvard, UCB) and national (Oxford, Imperial, UCL) collaborations. Indeed, it has been singled out as a world class element of CSEE in recent Research Evaluation Frameworks.

The BCI-NE lab are now seeking two Senior Research Officers on a three-year fixed-term, full time basis, to work on the project ‘Semantic brain to computer communication’.

The Project and Duties of the Role

This project proposes a radically new BCI based on semantic decoding: directly identifying whole concepts an individual is thinking of from a combination of analysis of brain activity and natural language modelling. Specifically, the work will include running a series of experiments to record neural data while individuals focus on a series of individual concepts. This will include experiment design and work on extraction of information from electroencephalogram (EEG), functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and other physiological signals. The work will also include analysis work to develop decoding models (including development and evaluation of signal processing and machine learning pipelines), as well as development of natural language models and integration of natural language modelling with neural decoders to develop novel forms of Brain-Computer Interface. The project will involve working with the project team to explore how neural engineering technology can be used to provide accurate, real-time, decoding of user intention.

The successful applicant will work on these duties, on a day-to-day basis within the BCI-NE lab.

A full list of duties can be found within the respective job packs.

Skills and Qualifications Required
Applicants are expected to hold a PhD (or be very close to submitting their PhD thesis) in Biomedical Engineering, Brain-Computer Interfaces, Neural Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Statistics, Physics, Computer Science, Neuroscience or a closely related discipline. You will be expected to have evidence of a developing research agenda and a developing record of publications in internationally recognised, reputable journals.

The successful candidate will have significant experience in programming and will ideally also have experience in areas such as signal processing, machine learning, statistical modelling of neural signals and processes, ), along with strong communication skills.

Applicants are also expected to have a strong publication record (relative to their career stage) as first author, ideally including publications in 1st quartile journals in relevant areas.

At the University of Essex, internationalism and diversity is central to who we are and what we do. We are committed to being a cosmopolitan, internationally oriented university that is welcoming to staff and students from all countries, faiths and backgrounds, where you can find the world in one place.