Project description
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects about 1 billion people worldwide. OSA is characterized by a repetitive collapse or narrowing of the upper airway during sleep resulting in cyclic oxygen desaturations, intrathoracic pressure swings and arousals from sleep. The objective of this collaborative project of the university hospital Zurich, ETH Zurich, and the university of Groningen is to facilitate personalization of OSA therapy by introducing unobtrusive sensors (microphones, ballistocardiography, and bio-radar) in combination with machine learning based algorithms for time series analysis into the whole OSA diagnosis and treatment pathway. During diagnosis unobtrusive sensors that can be used in home environments allow for multi-night recordings which is essential to reduce the impact of night-to-night variability of OSA severity on classification. In addition, non-contact detection of obstructive respiratory events during sleep can be used personalized event-driven intervention and therapy efficiency monitoring.
Within this interdisciplinary project, the Discrete Technology and Production Automation group will develop novel machine-learning based control algorithms that allow for real-time adjustment of OSA therapy. The main challenge is to develop robust machine learning algorithm which can quickly derive the necessary information from noisy, incomplete, real-world data. Furthermore, the algorithms to be developed within this project will be implemented on automated beds that provide fully automized positional therapy.
We seek a postdoctoral researcher who is interested in
- Developing Data-driven control solutions for medical applications.
- Investigate the use of machine learning-based algorithms for time series analysis in OSA therapy with unobtrusive sensors.
- Develop strategies to personalize the data-driven intervention in close collaboration with clinical partners.
- Communicate and collaborate with an interdisciplinary team of project partners.
- Collaborate with other postdocs and PhD students in the research group.
Organisation
Since its foundation in 1614, the University of Groningen has enjoyed an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative centre of higher education offering high-quality teaching and research. Balanced study and career paths in a wide variety of disciplines encourage currently more than 34000 students and researchers to develop their own individual talents. Belonging to the best research universities in Europe and the top 100 universities in the world (see our ranking: http://www.rug.nl/about-us/where-do-we-stand/rankings, the University of Groningen is truly an international place of knowledge.
Within the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE), the Engineering and Technology institute Groningen (ENTEG) conducts engineering science research and covers a broad area of mechanical engineering, control engineering, materials engineering, and (bio)-chemical engineering. The research unit Discrete Technology and Production Automation (DTPA) is focused on the dynamical modeling, analysis, mechatronics and control of complex electro-mechanical systems. The application areas include smart energy systems, mechatronic systems, robotic systems, as well as, multi-agent autonomous systems. For more information about the DTPA group please use the following link: http://www.rug.nl/research/discrete-technology-production-automation