PhD Researcher / PhD Researcheress

PhD Researcher - tenoexo

Location: 100%, Singapore, fixed-term

The Singapore-ETH Centre was established in 2010 by ETH Zurich - The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and Singapore's National Research Foundation (NRF) as part of the NRF's CREATE campus. As ETH Zurich's only research centre outside of Switzerland, the Centre has bolstered ETH Zurich's research capacity to develop sustainable solutions to global challenges in Switzerland, Singapore, and the surrounding regions.

Set in Asia, a rapidly urbanising region, the Singapore-ETH Centre aims to provide practical solutions to some of the most pressing challenges in urban sustainability, resilience, and health through its programmes: Future Cities Lab Global (FCL Global) and Future Health Technologies (FHT).

The Centre serves as an intellectual hub for research, bringing together principal investigators and researchers from diverse disciplines and backgrounds. To foster the exchange of ideas and expertise, our researchers actively collaborate with universities, research institutes, industry, and government agencies to translate knowledge into practical solutions for real-world problems.

Project Background

Stroke remains a leading cause of disability worldwide. While improved early stroke response has reduced mortality, it has also led to a growing population of stroke survivors, increasing the demand for long-term rehabilitation and placing a significant clinical and economic burden on healthcare systems. The current neurorehabilitation model relies heavily on resource-intensive, therapist-led care to meet the growing demand, underscoring the need for scalable, cost-effective solutions that extend into home settings.

To address this gap, the first phase of the Future Health Technologies Programme (FHT1) at the Singapore-ETH Centre developed and piloted innovative upper limb rehabilitation technologies, evaluating them in clinical contexts both in hospitals and in the homes of post-stroke subjects. Building on this progress, FHT2 aims to scale up these technologies and conduct more extensive clinical evaluations to promote the integration of technology-based clinic-to-home rehabilitation into Singapore’s healthcare system.

Specifically, one of our projects focuses on the technical development and clinical validation of a soft robotic hand orthosis to enhance upper limb rehabilitation sessions in the clinic and allow for additional task-oriented training at home. This project will build on the RELab tenoexo technology, a soft exoskeleton developed at ETH Zurich and refined during FHT1. Key features of RELab tenoexo include its ability to support grasping, complete customizability for the user’s hand, full wearability, and a weight of less than 300g. A proof-of-concept trial has shown preliminary feasibility and safety of using RELab tenoexo in chronic stroke patients.

Within this PhD project, the goal will be to further develop and evaluate RELab tenoexo, demonstrating that a soft hand exoskeleton can be a cost-effective way to increase therapy doses at home and improve upper limb function in post-stroke subjects. Specific objectives include:

• Improving and optimizing several key design features of RELab tenoexo.
• Combining RELab tenoexo with behavioral interventions delivered by a motivational AI chatbot (developed by another PhD student) to enhance engagement in home therapy.
• Evaluating long-term adherence to home use, functional improvements, movement quality metrics, as well as required resources/costs in the context of a proof-of-value clinical trial.

Job Description

As a PhD Researcher, your work will focus on evaluating and improving RELab tenoexo, an existing actuated lightweight soft hand exoskeleton for neurorehabilitation. Using a user-centered approach that considers the needs of post-stroke subjects and input from clinicians, you will identify key factors and enablers to improve robustness, usability, and applicability in daily life situations.

**Your tasks will include**:

• Leveraging an iterative human-centered design approach with multiple stakeholders to develop a hand exoskeleton that supports therapy and assists in daily activities.
• Technical design, development, and evaluation of an enhanced version of the hand exoskeleton, benchmarking against existing devices.
• Exploring improvements to the hand exoskeleton, such as optimizing the finger mechanism, adding a wrist module, enhancing fixation and user interface, gamification features, intention-detection control (e.g., EMG sensors), and adding instrumentation (e.g., IMU) to extract digital biomarkers.
• Clinical validation of the developed device in collaboration with local hospitals, engaging directly with post-stroke subjects.
• Designing and conducting clinical studies, collecting and analyzing data.
• Collaborating closely with another PhD student focused on complementary behavioral interventions to support adherence to therapy at home.
• Contributing to the supervision of master’s students and technical staff.
• Disseminating research outcomes at international conferences and in peer-reviewed journals.

Profile

• A Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Biomedical Engineering, or related fields.
• A keen interest in neurorehabilitation and developing robotic technologies for rehabilitation.
• Experience in developing or evaluating robotic technologies, with a strong background in physical human-robot interaction, human-centered design, usability evaluation, and human movement science.
• Familiarity with electromechanical design and assembly.
• Strong interest in applied translational research and the clinical application of rehabilitation technologies.
• A motivation to engage with clinicians and post-stroke subjects.
• Independence and a go-getter mentality.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills in English.
• Scientific curiosity and commitment to rigorous experimental work.
• A desire to expand knowledge and acquire new expertise in an international environment.

We seek candidates who take ownership of their research and can independently drive ideas forward. Successful applicants will actively engage with supervisors and collaborators, seek input when necessary, and thoughtfully integrate feedback.

Workplace

We offer:

• Accreditation with 5 Tripartite Standards by the Tripartite Alliance for Fair & Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) Singapore.
• A diverse workplace with 32 nationalities, offering ample opportunities for mutual learning.
• A positive and inclusive working environment.
• 25 days of annual leave for fixed-term contracts.
• 1 day of Birthday Leave.
• Annual dental benefits.
• Commitment to being a supportive employer prioritizing your physical and mental wellness.
• Comprehensive healthcare insurance coverage.
• Flexible hybrid work arrangements (up to 2 days per week from home).
• Abundant networking opportunities across various disciplines.
• Accreditation with NS mark certification.

The Singapore-ETH Centre is an equal opportunity and family-friendly employer. All candidates will be evaluated based on their merits and qualifications, without regard to gender, race, age, or religion.

We Value Diversity and Sustainability

In line with our values, ETH Zurich encourages an inclusive culture. We promote equality of opportunity, value diversity, and nurture a working and learning environment in which the rights and dignity of all our staff and students are respected. Visit our Equal Opportunities and Diversity website to learn how we ensure a fair and open environment that allows everyone to grow and flourish. Sustainability is a core value for us - we are consistently working towards a climate-neutral future.

Curious? So Are We!

We look forward to receiving your online application. Please apply online using the form below.

Please note that only applications matching the job profile will be considered.