Research Associate in Computational Biomechanics (SJ7191)

Analysis and Prevention of Spinal Injuries in Horse Racing

The Department for Health of the University of Bath are looking for a creative and dynamic individual to work on an injury prevention project funded by The Racing Foundation and join the research team as a post-doctoral research associate in computational biomechanics.

This research programme (https://www.bath.ac.uk/projects/equestrian-spinal-injuries/) will be in collaboration with the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and the British Racing School (BRS). 

The overall aim of this research is to analyse the mechanisms of spinal injury in horseracing, and use this key knowledge to inform the design of interventions to minimise spinal injury occurrence. Identifying injury mechanisms and understanding changes in risk in a range of scenarios will provide objective information to evaluate and optimise current falling technique strategy and inform the design of new protective garments. These aims will be achieved using a multidisciplinary approach that integrates video footage analysis, experimental testing, and computer simulations.

The Research Associate will be key to creating computational models and implementing a simulation framework to identify the optimal body protector design and falling technique to minimise spinal injury risk in horse racing. Also the Research Associate will lead data collection sessions, analyse kinematic and kinetic data, and integrate them into the simulation framework with the support of a doctoral student.

Applicants should possess a PhD in subject area of direct relevance for the project, and have an excellent experience in computational biomechanics and significant experience in the collection and analysis of kinematic and kinetic data. Experience of delivery and involvement in collaborative research programmes with external partners would also be highly beneficial. Candidates should be self-motivated and possess project management and technical communication skills. Please refer to Job Description for detailed requirement.

This position is full time (36.5 hours per week) and is being offered on a fixed term contract basis with an expected starting date in February 2020.

Closing Date: 15 Dec 2019
Type: Education & Research