Predicting and Overcoming Freezing of Gait in Parkinson’s Disease Using Exoskeletons and Sensor Fusion

We are seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate  to join an interdisciplinary research project in a collaborative environment at the intersection of neuroscience, biomechanics, wearable robotics, and data science. The successful candidate will be co-supervised by Prof. Kaylena Ehgotetz Martens and Prof. Arash Arami. We value equity, diversity, and inclusion and actively encourage applications from women, Indigenous Peoples, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, and members of other equity-deserving groups.

Project Overview

Freezing of gait is one of the most disabling symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, contributing significantly to falls, loss of independence, and reduced quality of life. This PhD project aims to advance the prediction and understanding of FOG by integrating exoskeleton technology with multimodal sensor fusion.

The successful candidate will contribute to the development and evaluation of a next-generation system that combines various wearable sensors with an assistive exoskeleton to detect, predict, and mitigate FOG episodes in real time. The work will involve close collaboration with engineers, clinicians, and people living with Parkinson’s disease, ensuring strong translational and patient-centred impact.

Key Research Components

  • Experimental study of gait and freezing of gait in Parkinson’s disease
  • Integration of wearable sensors with lower-limb exoskeleton systems
  • Sensor fusion and machine learning approaches for FOG prediction
  • Validation in laboratory and real-world or semi-ecological settings
  • Knowledge translation to clinical and community stakeholders

Candidate Profile

We welcome applicants with backgrounds in one or more of the following areas:

  • Movement science, kinesiology, rehabilitation science, neuroscience, or biomedical engineering
  • Robotics, mechatronics, wearable technology, or human–machine interaction
  • Signal processing, sensor fusion, machine learning, or data science
  • Clinical research related to Parkinson’s disease or gait disorders

Desired experience or interests include:

  • Wearable sensors and gait analysis
  • Human-subject experimentation and ethical research conduct
  • Programming skills (e.g., Python, MATLAB, R, C/C++)
  • Interdisciplinary and collaborative research environments
  • Parkinson’s disease research

What We Offer

  • An innovative, interdisciplinary PhD project with strong clinical relevance
  • Access to state-of-the-art exoskeletons, wearable sensors, and motion analysis tools
  • Opportunities to work with clinicians, engineers, and patient partners
  • International collaborations, conference presentations, and high-impact publications
  • A supportive training environment focused on research excellence and career development

Eligibility

Applicants must meet the admission requirements for the PhD program at the host institution and demonstrate strong academic performance and research potential.

Scholarship Opportunities

The PhD position is fully funded through a combination of research funding and institutional support, subject to university and program requirements.

Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards (CIRTA): This is a special funding opportunity for candidates (international or Canadian) who currently reside outside of Canada. We are please to nominate and support the eligible applicant for this prestiguos scholarship (deadline Feb 17).

For candidates currently in Canada, we will support applications to other major funding programs, including NSERC and Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS).

To Apply

Please send your CV and a cover letter detailing your statement of interest to . Please use FOG-Exo Applicant in the subject line of the email.