Two EE/BME Ph.D. student positions at University of Central Florida, Fall 2020

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Description: Two fully funded Ph.D. student positions in Prof. Yuxiao Yang’s group at the Department of ECE of the University of Central Florida (https://www.ece.ucf.edu/) are available starting from Fall 2020. The research will be focusing on developing next-generation closed-loop brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) for control of brain states, such as neuropsychiatric state (e.g., mood under depression) and unconsciousness under anesthesia. The research is multidisciplinary and involves (1) closed-loop algorithmic development using control theory, signal processing, and machine learning; (2) experimental design with human electroencephalogram (EEG) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS); (3) validation of the algorithms in real-time closed-loop experiments; (4) scientific discoveries on brain functions and dysfunctions.  

Highly self-motivated students with a strong background in signal processing and control theory, machine learning (deep learning, coding experience with TensorFlow, etc.), and neural signal processing (e.g., EEG and TMS) are encouraged to apply. We will aim at publishing our research on high-profile journals such as Nature Biomedical Engineering, Nature Communications and Elife, top neural engineering journals such as Journal of Neural Engineering and IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems & Rehabilitation Engineering, and top conferences such as NeurIPS and EMBC.

More details about Dr. Yang’s research can be found at http://yuxiaoyang.org/, and the 2019 BCI award interview: https://www.gtec.at/2020/02/04/b ... chiatric-disorders/

To apply, please send a CV with your undergraduate/graduate transcripts to Dr. Yang (yuxiaoya AT usc DOT edu).

Short Bio: Dr. Yang is an assistant professor joining the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and the Disability, Aging and Technology (DAT) Faculty Cluster in the University of Central Florida (UCF). Before joining UCF, he was a postdoc at the Department of ECE, University of Southern California (USC). He received the Ph.D. degree (2019) from USC and the B.S. degree (2013) in Electrical Engineering from Tsinghua University. His research interests include neural engineering, control and estimation theory, and machine learning. He has published in high-profile journals such as Nature Biotechnology (https://www.nature.com/articles/nbt.4200).  He was a winner of the Annual Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) Award (2019) and the EMBC Student Paper Award (2015).

Mentoring Philosophy: I will provide full support and guidance to my Ph.D. students and help them achieve a successful career in both industry and academia. I will create an inclusive and flexible lab environment and balance hands-on and hands-off mentoring. I will provide detailed guidance, especially during the early Ph.D. years. We will discuss and work out the details of both theoretical and experimental work together, and the students can expect a high research throughput with effective teamwork.

Why UCF ECE: Located in Orlando, ECE and UCF are at the center of Florida High Tech Corridor with an excellent industrial base in telecommunications, energy, computer systems, semiconductors, defense, space, lasers, simulation, software and the world-renowned entertainment/theme park industry. Exceptional weather, easy access to the seashore, one of the largest convention centers in the nation and an international airport that is among the world's best are just a few features that make the UCF/Orlando area idea