Walter Karlen

The Institute of Biomedical Engineering at Ulm University is offering a postdoctoral position focused on reinforcement learning for neuromodulation . The project sits at the intersection of medical wearables , artificial intelligence , remote health monitoring , and sleep research , with a strong translational focus on improving patient outcomes. The successful candidate will help develop real-time personalized interventions using wearable EEG during sleep. The research aims to pioneer wearable technologies that integrate reinforcement learning to discover novel strategies for human interaction and to explore previously unknown physiological characteristics of sleep and other human health factors. This is a full-time temporary postdoc position (40 hours/week), starting 1 October 2026 . The post is funded through the Volkswagenstiftung and offers a competitive salary aligned with German university pay scales (TV-L) . Applicants should hold a PhD or be near completion in Biomedical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a closely related field. A strong theoretical background in machine learning and proven experience applying reinforcement learning to practical problems are essential. The role also calls for interest in human health , w wearable sensors , biosignals , and sleep physiology , along with excellent English communication skills; German is considered an asset. The position includes research leadership responsibilities, including mentoring a small team, developing solutions to be translated into human experiments, publishing in high-quality journals and conferences, and contributing to third-party funding applications. Experience in teaching and student supervision is desired, together with a collaborative mindset suitable for interdisciplinary work across engineering and medicine. Applications should be submitted via the University of Ulm application portal by 15 September 2026, 23:59 (Europe/Berlin) . For questions, contact Prof. Dr. Walter Karlen at [email protected] .