Postdoctoral position in AI-based movement and behaviour analysis

Offer Description

Commitment & contract: collaboration contract, two years, renewable subject to the availability of funding

Location: Genova Morego

Step into a world of endless possibilities, together let’s leave something for the future!

At IIT, we are committed to advancing human-centered Science and Technology to address the most urgent societal challenges of our era. We foster excellence in both fundamental and applied research, spanning fields such as neuroscience and cognition, humanoid technologies and robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and material sciences, offering a truly interdisciplinary scientific experience. Our approach integrates cutting-edge tools and technology, empowering researchers to push the limits of knowledge and innovation. With us, your curiosity will know no bounds.

We are dedicated to providing equal employment opportunities and fostering diversity in all its forms, creating an inclusive environment. We value the unique experiences, knowledge, backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives of our people. By embracing diversity, we believe science can achieve its fullest potential.

THE ROLE

In the framework of a joint research project funded by the Italian Multiple Sclerosis Foundation (AISM/FISM), involving Dr. Raffaella Tonini (Neuromodulation of Cortical and Subcortical Circuits), Dr. Arash Ajoudani (Human-Robot Interfaces and Interaction), Dr. Luca Berdondini (Microtechnology for Neuroelectronics), and Dr. Andrea Tacchino (FISM), a postdoctoral position is available to develop innovative technologies aimed at improving the quality of life of people living with multiple sclerosis.

The project is highly interdisciplinary and lies at the interface of neuroscience, computational science, human motion analysis and human-cantered artificial intelligence.

The successful candidate will contribute to the implementation of human behavioural experiments using markerless video tracking and AI-based human pose estimation within an existing multi-camera, markerless motion-capture pipeline. The primary focus of the position will be the development of computational pipelines for extracting and analysing quantitative movement and behavioural features from both animal models and human participants.

Particular emphasis will be placed on identifying translational motor features that can be robustly and consistently quantified across species, including movement initiation latency, movement speed, gait characteristics, postural control, motor variability, and other behavioural descriptors.

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENT

• PhD in machine learning, artificial intelligence, computer vision, robotics, biomedical engineering, computer science, biomechanics, neuroscience, signal processing, or a closely related discipline.
• Strong expertise in machine learning and deep learning, with demonstrated experience in one or more of the following areas: computer vision, markerless pose estimation, movement analysis, behavioural quantification, time-series modelling, or multimodal data analysis.
• Excellent programming skills in Python and experience with deep-learning frameworks (preferably PyTorch).
• Experience developing, training, validating, and optimising machine-learning models for analysing movement and behavioural data.
• Strong knowledge of statistical analysis, experimental design, and reproducible computational research.
• Experience with scientific Python libraries (NumPy, SciPy, pandas, scikit-learn), Linux, and Git.
• Proven ability to develop well-documented, maintainable research software and manage experimental datasets.
• Strong publication record relative to career stage.
• Excellent written and spoken English.

ADDITIONAL SKILL

• Experience with markerless motion capture, AI-based pose estimation, and multi-camera acquisition systems.
• Knowledge of computer vision, 3D reconstruction, and analysis of human movement, gait, posture, or motor behaviour.
• Experience integrating multimodal datasets (e.g., video, IMUs, EMG, force plates, wearable sensors).
• Familiarity with modern deep-learning architectures for sequential data (e.g., Transformers, graph neural networks, state-space models).
• Experience with OpenCV, GPU-accelerated inference, Docker, and modern software engineering practices.
• Interest in computational neuroscience, translational research, and cross-species behavioural analysis.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in an interdisciplinary research environment.
• Excellent communication and scientific writing skills.
• Commitment to high standards of software quality, data management, and reproducible research.
• Motivation to develop computational tools with translational impact for improving the quality of life of people living with multiple sclerosis.

COMPENSATION PACKAGE

• A yearly gross salary ranging between 30.000,00 and 34.000,00 euro.
• Private health care coverage depending on your role and contract.
• Candidates from abroad or Italian citizens who have carried scientific research activity permanently abroad and meet specific requirements, may be entitled to a deduction from taxable income of up to 90% from 6 to 13 years.

This open position is financed FISM within the “Advancing computational and translational modeling for fatigue and fatigability quantifications to guide personalized therapy in multiple sclerosis” project (CUP J53C26000950007, contract n. 121/26/F14).

Please submit your application using the online form and including a detailed CV, cover letter, and 2 reference letters.

Application’s deadline: October 31st, 2026

Please contact Raffaella.Tonini@iit.it for informal discussion

To discover more about life at IIT, visit the dedicated section here: https://www.iit.it/en/work-at-iit

Where to apply

Website: https://app.ncoreplat.com/jobsharingredirect/809685/postdoctoral-position-in-ai-based-movement-and-behaviour-analysis-it/istituto-italiano-di-tecnologia

Requirements

Additional Information