Postdoctoral Researcher - Sleep Foundation Models

About Us

Are you ready to transform lives through academic excellence, innovative research, strong community partnerships and economic opportunity? Kennesaw State University is one of the 50 largest public institutions in the country. With growing enrollment and global reach, we continue to expand our institutional influence and prominence beyond the state of Georgia. We offer more than 190 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to empower over 50,000 students to become thought leaders, lifelong learners, and informed global citizens. Our entrepreneurial spirit, high-impact research, and Division I athletics draw students from throughout the region and from more than 100 countries across the globe. Our university's vibrant culture, career opportunities, rich benefits, and values of respect, integrity, collaboration, inclusivity, and accountability make us an employer of choice. We are part of the University System of Georgia. We are searching for talented people to join Kennesaw State University in our vision. Come Take Flight at KSU!

Location

(Primary Location for Job Responsibilities) Our Kennesaw campus is located at 1000 Chastain Road NW, Kennesaw, GA 30144.

Our Marietta campus is located at 1100 South Marietta Parkway, Marietta, GA 30060.

Department Information

DEPARTMENT SPECIFIC TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Leads development and validation of multimodal sleep foundation models using polysomnography (PSG) and related physiological signals
2. Harmonizes and preprocesses large-scale sleep and clinical datasets; develop reproducible pipelines for self-supervised pretraining, fine-tuning, and external validation
3. Develops and evaluates downstream models for longitudinal cardiovascular risk prediction and cognitive decline, including model interpretation, calibration, and subgroup performance assessment
4. Prepares peer-reviewed manuscripts, conference abstracts/presentations, technical documentation, and reproducible analysis code arising from the project
5. Collaborates with the faculty mentor, graduate students, and clinical or research partners, and provide technical guidance to students working on physiological signal processing and machine learning
6. Contributes preliminary data, methods, and scientific writing toward at least one competitive external funding application arising from the research program

DEPARTMENT SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:*

• Advanced knowledge of machine learning/deep learning for biomedical time-series and multimodal physiological data, including modern representation-learning approaches
• Knowledge of physiological signal processing (e.g., ECG, PPG, respiratory, EEG/PSG, or wearable signals) and quantitative evaluation of clinical prediction models
• Able to work with large longitudinal clinical datasets, harmonize multimodal data, and conduct rigorous validation, statistical analysis, and model interpretation
• Proficiency in Python and common ML/DL frameworks (e.g., PyTorch or TensorFlow), with experience developing reproducible data-processing and modeling pipelines
• Strong scientific writing, communication, teamwork, and ability to conduct research independently with appropriate mentorship

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS: (Preferred qualifications)

• Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in electrical engineering, biomedical engineering, computer science, data science, bioinformatics, or a closely related field
• Demonstrated research experience in physiological signal processing, machine learning/deep learning, wearable or clinical data, or digital health
• Experience with longitudinal health outcomes, cognitive aging/impairment, cardiovascular data, or multimodal biomedical datasets preferred
• Experience with transformers, self-supervised learning, foundation models, high-performance computing, or external grant development is desirable
• Peer-reviewed publication record demonstrates ability to complete and disseminate independent research

Job Summary

Postdoctoral Researchers support teams of KSU faculty and students (undergraduate and graduate students), which engage with external collaborators from other universities, community members, government agencies, and/or private sector entities to stimulate innovation, capacity-building, and sustainability of research and scholarly activity at KSU.

This position is considered limited-term staff since it utilizes contingent funding which is currently only secured through June 30, 2028, or 18 months from the position start date, whichever occurs first. Employment thereafter will be conditional based on continued availability of funding.

Responsibilities

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Plans and executes experimental activities, data analyses, submission of reports or of manuscripts to peer-reviewed publications, and/or attendance and presentation of research findings at appropriate venues of dissemination
2. Develops and contributes to new ideas for research proposals and directions within the research group
3. Develops an Individual Development Plan (IDP) in collaboration with faculty mentor
4. Generates revenue by securing grants and participates in departmental and institutional career development programs, such as grant writing workshops
5. Prepares project budget and ensures funded project operates within budget guidelines
6. Maintains official records and documents, and ensures compliance with institutional policies, and federal, state and local regulations
7. Establishes working relationships and cooperative arrangements with internal and external partners
8. Engages in research and publication

Required Qualifications

Educational Requirements

Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate (e.g. D.V.M, Sc.D., M.D., PharmD., etc.) from an accredited institution of higher education or obtainment of doctorate degree within six (6) months of hire

Preferred Qualifications

Additional Preferred Qualifications

An advanced degree from an accredited institution of higher education in a related field

Proposed Salary

The budgeted salary range is $51,600 to $60,000. Offers are based on relevant experience. Comprehensive benefits to include Medical, Dental, Vision, 13 paid holidays, vacation, generous retirement plans, tuition waiver, wellness options, and much more! Visit hr.kennesaw.edu/benefits.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

ABILITIES

Able to meet eligibility requirements for work in the United States at the time the appointment is scheduled to begin and to continue working legally for the proposed term of the appointment

Able to handle multiple tasks or projects simultaneously to meet assigned deadlines

KNOWLEDGE

Demonstrated ability to carry out independent and collaborative research on a team of faculty and students with the ability to meet deliverables and milestones

Demonstrated creative and proactive approach towards problem solving

Knowledge of and experience in general analytical methods development and good analytical practices

Maintains a working knowledge of significant developments and trends in the field

SKILLS

Outstanding proposal and paper writing skills

Excellent interpersonal, initiative, teamwork, problem-solving, organization, communication (verbal and written), time management, project management, and presentation skills

Proficient with computer applications and programs associated with the position (i.e. Microsoft Office suite)

Strong attention to detail and follow-up skills

Strong customer service skills and phone and e-mail etiquette

USG Core Values

The University System of Georgia is comprised of our 25 institutions of higher education and learning as well as the System Office. Our USG Statement of Core Values are Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect. These values serve as the foundation for all that we do as an organization, and each USG community member is responsible for demonstrating and upholding these standards. More details on the USG Statement of Core Values and Code of Conduct are available in USG Board Policy 8.2.18.1.2 and can be found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section8/C224/#p8.2.18_personnel_conduct.

Additionally, USG supports Freedom of Expression as stated in Board Policy 6.5 Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section6/C2653.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Kennesaw State University is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. The University is committed to maintaining a fair and respectful environment for living, work and study.

For additional information on this policy, or to file a complaint under the provisions of this policy, students, employees, applicants for employment or admission or other third parties should contact the Office of Institutional Equity at English Building, Suite 225, eeo@kennesaw.edu.

Other Information

This is not a supervisory position.

This position does not have any financial responsibilities.

This position will not be required to drive.

This role is not considered a position of trust.

This position does not require a purchasing card (P-Card).

This position may travel 1% - 24% of the time

This position does not require security clearance.

Background Check

• Standard Enhanced
• Education

Per the University System of Georgia background check policy, all final candidates will be required to consent to a criminal background investigation. Final candidates may be asked to disclose criminal record history during the initial screening process and prior to a conditional offer of employment. Applicants for positions of trust with screening results which confirm a disqualifying criminal history will be immediately disqualified from employment eligibility

All applicants are required to include professional references as part of their application process. Some positions may require additional job-based screenings such as motor vehicle report, credit check, pre-employment drug screening and/or verification of academic credentials.

https://www.usg.edu/hr/assets/hr/hrap_manual/HRAP_Background_Investigation_Employment.pdf

To that end, and in accordance with federal and state law, Board of Regents policy, and University policy, the University prohibits harassment of or discrimination against any person because of race, color, sex (including sexual harassment, pregnancy, and medical conditions related to pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity or national origin, religion, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran or military status by any member of the KSU Community on campus, in connection with a University program or activity, or in a manner that creates a hostile environment for members of the KSU community.