Post-Doctoral Associate

We are seeking a highly motivated and qualified Postdoctoral Research Associate to join our interdisciplinary team focused on developing and evaluating a next-generation auditory nerve implant (ANI). This position centers on psychophysical testing, speech perception research, and designing clinical evaluation protocols to assess auditory outcomes in human listeners with hearing prostheses.

The successful candidate will lead efforts to design and implement behavioral experiments and outcome measures for upcoming clinical trials.
This project is co-led by Dr. Lei Feng (Department of Otolaryngology) and Dr. Hubert Lim (Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Otolaryngology), integrating expertise in auditory neuroscience, neural engineering, and clinical translation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design and implement psychophysical and speech perception tasks for clinical evaluation of auditory nerve implant users.
• Develop quantitative outcome measures for comparing hearing performance between ANI and CI users.
• Create and maintain software tools for stimulus delivery, response collection, and data analysis (MATLAB and Python).
• Collaborate with audiologists, clinicians, and engineers to develop and validate clinically meaningful tests.
• Assist in protocol development for clinical trials, including IRB preparation and documentation.
• Recruit, consent, and test human participants in compliance with IRB and ethical guidelines.
• Contribute to manuscript writing, presentations, and grant proposals.
• Coordinate with industry and clinical partners on trial execution and technology feedback.

About the Lab:
Our lab explores how the brain encodes and adapts to sound and electrical stimulation, with a focus on designing invasive therapeutic interventions for hearing loss. We integrate neurophysiology, perception, and engineering to develop advanced auditory prostheses and stimulation strategies. This position offers unique opportunities to contribute to high-impact, translational neuroscience research at the intersection of auditory science and neural engineering.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, Neuroscience, Psychology, Speech and Hearing Science, or a related field.
• Expertise in auditory psychophysics and/or speech perception testing.
• Proficiency in MATLAB and/or Python for experimental programming and data analysis.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct human subjects research and manage clinical protocols.
• Strong publication record and scientific communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with cochlear implant users or hearing-impaired populations.
• Experience designing or implementing clinical outcome measures.
• Interest or experience in neuroprosthetic device evaluation or translational research.

To learn more about the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, please visit: med.umn.edu/ent.

Pay Range: $62,232 annually

Please visit the Benefits for Postdoctoral Candidates website for more information regarding benefit eligibility.

• Competitive wages, paid holidays, and generous time off
• Continuous learning opportunities through professional training
• Medical, dental, and pharmacy plans
• Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts
• University HSA contributions
• Disability and life insurance
• Employee wellbeing program
• Financial counseling services
• Employee Assistance Program with eight sessions of counseling at no cost

Applications must be submitted online. To be considered for this position, please click the Apply button and follow the instructions. You will be given the opportunity to complete an online application for the position and attach a cover letter and resume.

Additional documents may be attached after application by accessing your "My Job Applications" page and uploading documents in the "My Cover Letters and Attachments" section.

To request an accommodation during the application process, please e-mail employ@umn.edu or call (612) 624-8647.

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The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC)

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