Postdoc / Research Engineer / PhD candidate (Acoustic Heart Failure Monitoring: Multimodal and clinical integration)

About TUMCREATE

TUMCREATE is a multidisciplinary research platform of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) at the Singapore Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE). We are partnering with universities, public agencies, and industry to advance future technologies.

The HEARTwise project is a public-private research initiative funded by Singapore's National Research Foundation, bringing together clinical cardiologists (CADENCE / NUHS, NHCS), engineers from TUM and TUMCREATE, and MedTech partners. The project develops a multimodal platform for non-invasive, early decompensation detection in ambulant HF patients – combining wearable mobility sensing, heart and lung sound recognition, and integration with additional digital biomarker sources.

As a member of the HEARTwise team, you will collaborate within an interdisciplinary consortium comprising leading experts in cardiology, telemedicine, biomedical engineering, acoustics, data privacy, and industry.

Please visit www.tum-create.edu.sg for more information about TUMCREATE.

Background & Scientific Context

Heart failure (HF) affects 2.5% of Singapore's population and is the leading cardiac cause of hospital admission – presenting a decade earlier and more aggressively than in Europe or North America. The 30% rehospitalization rate within 90 days of discharge is both a major clinical burden and a window of opportunity for early, data-driven intervention.

Job Summary

We are seeking a highly motivated and skilled researcher with proven expertise in signal processing, in user or patient research studies, and in creating software for participant testing. You will collaborate with clinicians and be responsible for audio data collection of heart and lung sounds in the clinic, for creating an annotated database, and for validating sound classification prototypes in a pilot clinical diagnostic study. You will work on prototype algorithms for classification of heart and lung sounds and develop approaches for integrating multimodal data from mobility sensing and other biomarkers to create a reliable tool for early decompensation detection in ambulant HF patients.

This is a fixed-term contract until March 2029 when applicable.

Key Responsibilities

• Work on classification algorithms of heart and lung sounds, on multimodal data analysis and fusion, and on verifying the technology against requirements.
• Work with clinicians on data collection from heart failure patients and build a database under consideration of data protection and ethical requirements
• Develop a tool for audio data collection in the clinic, advance it into a clinical audio classification prototype and validate it in a pilot clinical study.
• Collaborate with experts in cardiology, telemedicine, biomedical engineering, acoustics, and data privacy
• Write scientific manuscripts, contribute to project reports, and present findings at international conferences and stakeholder meetings.

Key Competencies

• At least 1 year of proven expertise in signal processing, user or patient studies, and in creating software for participant testing.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, with the ability to communicate complex analytical results to multidisciplinary teams.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, international research environment.

Qualification Requirements

• We are seeking a researcher with a PhD degree in hearing research, electrical engineering, biomedical engineering, human factors engineering, (medical) physics, computer science or similar and a proven track record in (audio) signal processing and in developing and conducting research studies with users or patients. Fresh graduates, PhD candidates and Engineers in similar fields will also be considered.
• Proficiency in C/C++, Matlab/Python and anaconda (or similar).
• Experience in machine learning and database interfacing is highly desirable.
• Ideally, the candidate has an interdisciplinary education including acoustics that facilitates collaboration with biomedical engineers.

What we offer

• A collaborative and inclusive world-class research environment.
• Opportunities for professional development.
• Engagement with a leading international team addressing interdisciplinary challenges in heart failure management.

Applications

Please submit the following compulsory documents to hr@tum-create.edu.sg:

• Cover letter
• CV
• University transcripts

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

We look forward to your application!