The Department of Diagnostics och intervention is offering a postdoctoral scholarship within neuroimaging and integrated motion analysis. The scholarship is full-time for two years with access 2026-12-15 or by agreement. Application deadline: 2026-11-15.
Departmental specific information
The Department of Diagnostics and Intervention conducts leading clinical and translational research in the fields of Biomedical Engineering, Radiation Physics, and Clinical Medicine. The Steady research project is based at the unit for Biomedical Engineering – R&D, situated at the Umeå University Hospital[HG2] . The unit provides an interdisciplinary research environment focused on developing medical technology solutions to address clinical research challenges. Its location within the hospital creates excellent opportunities for close collaboration between engineering and clinical researchers. The research environment is international, and the unit comprises engineers, senior researchers, doctoral students, and postdoctoral researchers, primarily with backgrounds in engineering physics, computer science, and electronics.
Project description
Essential tremor (ET) is the most common movement disorder and causes pronounced shaking, primarily of the hands and arms, with a substantial impact on daily life. At Umeå University Hospital, both deep brain stimulation (DBS) and focused ultrasound (FUS) are used to treat essential tremor, with FUS representing a treatment option that is unique in Sweden. Both methods are effective in reducing tremor; however, it remains unclear when and why adverse effects affecting balance and gait occur, and precise tools for identifying patients at risk of disabling adverse effects are lacking. By combining movement analysis and neuroimaging, we aim to investigate how treatment-specific parameters—electrode placement and stimulation settings in DBS, and the location and extent of the ablation area in FUS—relate to treatment outcomes and patient-specific motor impairments at the brain and body levels.
For a postdoctoral scholarship recipient, this project provides an excellent platform for independent scientific development and career advancement in a high-quality interdisciplinary environment. The project is conducted within Helena Grip’s research group and has strong links to both the Umeå Centre for Functional Brain Imaging (UFBI) and the U-Motion Laboratory.
The scholarship recipient will have the opportunity to:
Deepen their knowledge of advanced multimodal analysis and develop an independent research profile in neuroimaging with integrated motion analysis
Gain practical experience in brain data acquisition techniques combined with physiological methods for measuring muscle activity and movement.
Strengthen their qualifications for a continued academic career through scientific publications and presentations at international research conferences.
The scholarship is awarded for two years, commencing in autumn 2026 or as agreed. It is funded by the Kempe Foundations.
Qualifications
To be eligible for a postdoctoral scholarship, the recipient must have been awarded a doctoral degree or a foreign degree deemed equivalent to a doctoral degree. This eligibility requirement must be met no later than the date on which the decision on the scholarship recipient is made. Priority should be given to candidates who were awarded their doctoral degree no more than three years before the application deadline. Candidates who completed their doctoral degree earlier may be considered if there are special grounds. Special grounds include leave due to illness, parental leave, elected positions in trade unions, service in the Swedish total defence, or other similar circumstances, as well as clinical practice or other employment or assignments relevant to the subject area.
The doctoral degree must be in neuroscience, biomedical engineering, bioinformatics, or sim,ilar, with a strong methodological focus on neuroimaging.
Additional requirements are:
Very good knowledge of fMRI and DTI analysis
Good proficiency in SPM, FSL, MRIcron, or similar tools
Very good written and spoken English
Meriting criteria are:
Experience in signal analysis
Proficiency in MATLAB and/or Python
The ability to communicate in Swedish, as this facilitates communication with participants during data collection
We are looking for a candidate who:
Is motivated, curious, and can work independently
Has a strong ability to collaborate with others and thrives in a multidisciplinary environment
Application
The application should be written in English or Swedish, and attached documents should be in Word or PDF format. The application should be registered via Umeå University’s e-recruitment system Varbi and submitted by the deadline 15 november 2026.
Further information
Additional information about the scholarship can be provided by Associate Professor Helena Grip, Department of Diagnostics and Intervention, Biomedical Engineering and Radiation Physics, Umeå University Hospital, Umeå, Sweden, via e-mail: helena.grip@umu.se
