Associate Research Scientist

Function: Mechanical Engineering Entry Level: Yes Job Type: Full-Time Job Duration: 1-2 Years Min Education: Ph.D. Min Experience: 0-1 Year Required Travel: 0-10% About this role The Myers Soft Tissue Lab in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Columbia University is seeking to fill an Associate Research Scientist opening as part of a project that aims to develop and validate a patient-specific computational platform (a “digital twin”) of shear wave elastography (SWE) for cervical health assessment and the prediction of spontaneous preterm birth. The work combines finite element (FE) modeling of shear wave propagation, acoustic simulation of clinical ultrasound push-and-track sequences, and microstructurally informed constitutive modeling of cervical tissue. Responsibilities include verifying and validating the FE-SWE platform against experiments, conducting sensitivity analyses of how cervical geometry, tissue anisotropy, heterogeneity, and prestrain drive variability in quantitative ultrasound (QUS) measurements such as shear wave speed (SWS). This position will be advised by Prof. Kristin M. Myers. Key Requirements To be considered for this position, candidates should hold a PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Applied Mechanics, or a related field, along with relevant postdoctoral research experience. Experience in computational solid mechanics and finite element analysis (e.g., FEBio, Abaqus, or similar), constitutive modeling of soft tissues, and scientific programming in MATLAB and/or Python is valuable for this project. Familiarity with ultrasound shear elastography or acoustic simulation (e.g., Field II), medical image processing, machine learning, and high-performance computing is a plus. Candidates should also enjoy working in a multidisciplinary team spanning engineering, clinical, and industry partners. They should have excellent written and oral communication skills and be ready to take on leadership responsibilities: mentoring students, preparing technical reports and manuscripts, and coordinating project activities and deliverables with collaborators.