Dr. Dan Marigold’s Sensorimotor Neuroscience Lab (www.sfu.ca/smnl) is seeking applications for available graduate student positions (at the PhD level) related to a collaborative project with Dr. Michael Cinelli (Wilfrid Laurier University) on walking collision avoidance behaviours. The successful applicants will benefit from co-supervision by Drs. Marigold and Cinelli.

Project details:

  • Crowded public places often necessitate collision avoidance behaviours. This project seeks to understand the factors that influence a person’s decisions on where and how to walk (PhD position 1) and to develop computational models of this behaviour (PhD position 2).
  • Experiments will involve collection and analysis of unscripted pedestrian walking behaviour across various real-world locations.
  • Related research article:

Position 1

Requirements:

  • Background in neuroscience, psychology, kinesiology, and/or closely related area
  • Self-motivated
  • Proficient research and numerical skills
  • Proficient oral and written English communication skills

Assets:

  • Master’s degree
  • Proficient in computer programming (ideally MATLAB and/or Python)

Position 2

Requirements:

  • Background in neuroscience, psychology, kinesiology, statistics, mathematics, computer science, engineering, and/or closely related area
  • Self-motivated
  • Proficient in computer programming (e.g., MATLAB, Python)
  • Demonstrated computational modeling expertise
  • Proficient research and numerical skills
  • Proficient oral and written English communication skills

Assets:

  • Master’s degree
  • Proficient in statistical modeling approaches
  • Experience with the design, data collection, and analysis of human behavioural experiments

Funding: Guaranteed for at least 4 years (PhD level) in agreement with current Departmental policies. It is expected that the successful applicant will apply for both internal and external scholarships when eligible.

Location: The labs is part of the Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology (BPK) at Simon Fraser University (SFU). SFU is consistently ranked as one of the top comprehensive universities in Canada. The campus is located on the top of Burnaby Mountain in Metro Vancouver and is near numerous outdoor recreational opportunities.

Application Process: If interested, please send (1) a brief statement of research interests and career goals, (2) a current CV, and (3) transcripts (unofficial versions are acceptable to start) to daniel_marigold at sfu dot ca. Please send the statement in the body of the email and the CV and transcript documents in PDF format. In addition, please indicate which position(s) you are interested in. Positions are subject to acceptance into the graduate program in BPK at SFU. Please visit the following site for more details: www.sfu.ca/bpk/. We will start considering applications at the end of January and will continue until the position is filled.

Both research labs are committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Earliest Start Date: September 1, 2025. Later start dates may be possible.

Research and Training Associated with the Department: BPK has excellent systems-level neuroscience groups, which includes the labs of Drs. Gustavo Balbinot, Dylan Cooke, Sam Doesburg, Max Donelan, Andy Hoffer, Randy McIntosh, and Alex Wiesman. Graduate students can participate in the Translational and Integrative Neuroscience graduate specialization, which offers courses and workshops (www.sfu.ca/neuro-institute/training/graduate.html). In addition, SFU’s Institute for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology (www.sfu.ca/neuro-institute.html) provides networking opportunities and seminars. Students will also be trained by Dr. Cinelli who has expertise in visuomotor control and decision-making as it pertains to collision avoidance behaviours between individuals. Drs. Cinelli and Marigold will work closely with the students to foster their skillsets and professional development to prepare them for both their current research and their future careers within or outside of academia.