Post Doctoral Scholar

The Opportunity:

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science is seeking a Post Doctoral Scholar to support the UCF Center of Ethics and the Laboratory for Interaction of Machine and Brain. The scholar would be a part of a research program funded by Meta at the intersection of neural engineering, human–machine interaction, ethics, and privacy. The project focuses on next-generation bio signal-driven interfaces for long-term use, emphasizing adaptability, robustness, and human-centered design with special focus on ethics and privacy.
 

Responsibilities:

This position is ideal for candidates who enjoy working across theory, experiments, and systems-level thinking, and who want their work to shape how humans interact with intelligent machines responsibly.
 

What You’ll Work On

You will contribute to the development and evaluation of ethics-centered adaptive brain/muscle–machine interface technologies using physiological signals (primarily sEMG). The work spans:

• Close collaboration with researchers in neuroscience, engineering, and ethics.

• Human-in-the-loop brain/muscle-machine experimentation focused on learning pedagogy for adaptive neural systems.

• Design and implementation of gamified environments for incorporating user feedback into system design.

• Research design around the ethics of privacy and sense-of-agency in system design.

• Longitudinal analysis across time and conditions

• Algorithm design and modeling.

• The role offers significant intellectual freedom and opportunities to shape the direction of the research.

Minimum Qualifications:

• PhD in Electrical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science, Neuroscience, Robotics, AI Ethics or a related field.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Strong publication record and clear research trajectory

• Excellent communication skills and ability to work independently

Core Technical Skills
 

• Machine learning for time-series or latent-variable models

• Signal processing of physiological data (e.g., EMG, EEG, biosignals)

• Statistical modeling and dimensionality reduction

• Python-based scientific computing (NumPy, SciPy, PyTorch/JAX, etc.)
 

Core Research Skills
 

• Privacy and/or sense-of-agency ethical analysis

• Learning pedagogical analysis and design

• Control theory or reinforcement learning

• Game-based or interactive training paradigms

• Experience collaborating across disciplines

• Research in ethics, agency, or privacy in AI-enabled systems

Additional Application Materials Required:

• Please provide contact information for three professional references. References will be contacted if you are selected as a final candidate.

Special Instructions to the Applicants:

• Must be authorized to work in the United States at the time of hire.

• Ph.D. must be awarded prior to the start date of the Post Doctoral Scholar position at the University of Central Florida.
   

• Target start date: April 1, 2026.

Are you ready to unleash YOUR potential?

As a next-generation public research university and Forbes-ranked top employer in Florida, we are a community of thinkers, doers, creators, innovators, healers, and leaders striving to create broader prosperity and help shape a better future. No matter what your role is, when you join Knight Nation, you’ll play an integral role at one of the most impactful universities in the country. You’ll be met with opportunities to connect and collaborate with talented faculty, staff, and students across 13 colleges and multiple campuses, engaging in impactful work that makes a positive difference. Your time at UCF will provide you with many meaningful opportunities to grow, you’ll work alongside talented colleagues on complex projects that will challenge you and help you gain new skills and you’ll have countless rewarding experiences that go well beyond a paycheck.

Are Benefits Important to You?

State Benefits eligibility for OPS employees are subject to criteria established by the State of Florida. The state’s benefits administrator, People First, determines eligibility and coordinates enrollment. If this position becomes eligible for state benefits the employee will be notified directly by People First.  OPS positions are not entitled to paid time off. 

Unless explicitly stated on the job posting, it is UCF’s expectation that an employee of UCF will reside in Florida as of the date the employment begins.

Additional Requirements related to Research Positions:

Pursuant to Florida State Statute 1010.35, prior to offering employment to certain individuals in research-related positions, UCF is required to conduct additional screening. Applicants subject to additional screening include any citizen of a foreign country who is not a permanent resident of the U.S., or who is a citizen or permanent resident but is affiliated with or has had at least 1 year of education, employment, or training in China, Cuba, Iran, Russia, North Korea, Syria, or Venezuela.

The additional screening requirements only apply to research-related positions, including, but not limited to faculty, graduate positions, individuals compensated by research grants or contract funds, postdoctoral positions, undergraduate positions, visiting assistant professors, and visiting research associates.

Department

College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) - Electrical and Computer Engineering

Work Schedule

Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Type of Appointment

Fixed Term (Fixed Term)

Expected Salary

$57,000.00

As a Florida public university, the University of Central Florida makes all application materials and selection procedures available to the public upon request.  

UCF is proud to be a smoke-free campus and an E-Verify employer. 

If an accommodation due to a disability is needed to apply for this position, please call 407-823-1336 or email onac@ucf.edu.

For general application or posting questions, please email talent@ucf.edu.