Postdoc FES Shorts for Gait Rehabilitation after Stroke

Are you passionate about shaping the future of healthcare? Do you want to develop technology that truly matters in people’s lives? Join us in creating radical innovations that support patients at home.

The BODIES group at the Department of Biomechanical Engineering, TU Delft, seeks a motivated postdoctoral researcher for a full-time, fully funded, 30-month project on Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) shorts to improve gait after stroke. You will work closely with Sint Maartenskliniek and Biomex, embedded in the multidisciplinary Care is coming home! program, a 5-year consortium of 2 technical universities (TU Delft, UTwente), 6 hospitals (including Sint Maartenskliniek), 13 companies (including Biomex), 1 rehabilitation centre, and 5 patient organisations (including Hersenletsel.nl and Hersenstichting).

The challenge

Stroke survivors often have reduced knee flexion and propulsive push-off, impairments with a major impact on mobility and fall risk, with no effective clinical intervention currently available. Recent research showed that FES of the hamstrings during push-off can enhance gait after stroke. This position builds on those findings: you will adapt an existing FES shorts system for stroke rehabilitation, test and optimize it with patients, retrain the stimulation-control algorithm for stroke-specific gait, and evaluate usability, comfort, and fit during prolonged use. You will also initiate adaptable, IMU-based stimulation control synchronized to each patient’s evolving gait dynamics as they recover.

You will

1. Retrain an IMU-based gait-detection algorithm using stroke-patient data.
2. Run patient panels with stroke survivors, with a PhD candidate, to assess fit, comfort, and usability.
3. Tune and clinically assess FES stimulation with physical therapists at Sint Maartenskliniek, followed by initial patient testing.
4. Develop adaptable FES control using onboard IMU signals.
5. Run a pilot home-testing study on continuous gait monitoring, assessing feasibility for future large-scale use.

You will translate this into a research plan aimed at peer-reviewed publications, alongside consortium deliverables.

Our offer

You will become part of the funded research program in the Netherlands named Care is coming home!, which involves 9 PhDs and 5 Postdocs. TU Delft offers an inspiring, collaborative, and international research environment, with access to leading experts in medical technology and AI-driven healthcare solutions. You will also have access to state-of-the-art labs, clinical partners, and patient organisations, creating strong conditions to make a meaningful contribution to the future of sustainable healthcare.

• Full-time, 30-month postdoctoral position.
• Excellent mentorship and a stimulating international research environment with excellent facilities.
• Competitive salary per the Dutch CAO NU (scale 10, depending on experience), 8% holiday allowance, 8.3% year-end bonus, and a solid pension scheme.
• Minimum 29 holidays per year (full-time).

Job requirements

You bring:

• A PhD in Biomechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Movement Science, Robotics, or a related discipline.
• A strong curiosity for human gait and neuromuscular control after stroke.
• Experience with wearable-sensor (IMU) data and human motion analysis.
• Solid programming skills, ideally in Python, for algorithm development, control design, and data analysis.
• Confidence and interest in testing and iterating technology together with patients, in the lab and in the clinic.
• Excellent organizational and communication skills to coordinate studies across clinical and industry partners.
• Affinity for working with patients, physical therapists, and clinicians in a hospital setting.
• Ability to work independently while thriving in a collaborative, multidisciplinary consortium team.
• Fluency in English, both written and spoken; Dutch is a plus for patient communication.

If you enjoy hands-on research, working with people, and bridging clinical needs with cutting-edge control engineering, this postdoc is an opportunity to make a real impact in home-based stroke rehabilitation.

TU Delft as an employer

Working at TU Delft means contributing to solutions that really make a difference.

At TU Delft, our people make the difference. With their knowledge and curiosity, our staff provide high-quality education and conduct pioneering research that extends beyond the campus. You will have the opportunity to take the initiative, work with others, and grow as a professional within an international community of professionals and students.

Faculty Mechanical Engineering

ME is a dynamic and innovative faculty with high-tech lab facilities and international reach. It is a large and versatile faculty where unique connections are often made by combining different disciplines. This is reflected in its state-of-the-art education and research environment, and in its contribution to societal issues through engineering and science.