Postdoctoral Researcher - Sleep Foundation Models

Postdoctoral Researcher - Sleep Foundation Models

Job ID: 304825

Location: Kennesaw, Georgia

Full/Part Time: Full Time

Regular/Temporary: Regular

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. 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.

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 apply, visit https://careers.hprod.onehcm.usg.edu/psp/careers/CAREERS/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM_FL.HRS_CG_SEARCH_FL.GBL?Page=HRS_APP_JBPST_FL&Action=U&FOCUS=Applicant&SiteId=43000&JobOpeningId=304825&PostingSeq=1

je-9486a99f88334d8aaa2f622e09687ead