Director of Human Physiology and Performance Research

University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America’s Best Large Employers in 2023.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Posted Job Title

Director of Human Physiology and Performance Research

Job Profile Title

Director B, Research

Job Description Summary

The Diffusion & Connectomics in Precision Healthcare Research (DiCIPHR) lab at the University of Pennsylvania, led by Dr. Ragini Verma, conducts multidisciplinary research integrating neuroimaging, neuroscience, physiological measurements, and computational methods to understand human health and neurological function.
DiCIPHR leads VESPER (Variance in Energy SPectrum Exposure Response), a longitudinal, multidisciplinary research program investigating the neurological, physiological, and functional effects of occupational exposures. VESPER integrates brain imaging, wearable technologies, electrophysiology, vestibular and oculomotor assessments, cognitive testing, sleep measurements, and other physiological assessments to characterize human health and performance.
We seek a Director of Human Physiology and Performance Research to provide scientific leadership for the physiological and neurobehavioral assessment components of VESPER. The Director will oversee the implementation, validation, and interpretation of multimodal physiological assessments, with particular emphasis on wearable technologies (WHOOP and Muse), electroencephalography (EEG), eye tracking, and related measures of autonomic, neurological, and cognitive function.
The position will focus on understanding the relationships between physiological regulation, brain function, sleep, recovery, cognitive performance, and resilience, and on identifying objective measures of functional changes associated with occupational and environmental exposures.
The Director will work closely with clinical investigators, neuroscientists, biomedical engineers, computational researchers, and technology partners to develop scientifically rigorous assessment protocols, ensure high-quality physiological measurements, and integrate findings across modalities.

Position contingent upon funding.

Job Description

Job Responsibilities

The Director will lead the scientific development, implementation, and interpretation of physiological and neurobehavioral assessments within VESPER.

The position requires a strong background in human physiology, neuroscience, or a related biomedical discipline, with expertise in physiological measurement and interpretation. The Director will oversee the selection and validation of assessment technologies, the development of standardized acquisition protocols, and the identification of physiologically meaningful outcome measures.

A major responsibility will be directing the use of wearable technologies, including WHOOP for longitudinal monitoring of sleep, activity, cardiovascular and autonomic function, and Muse for wearable EEG monitoring. The Director will also oversee research-grade EEG and eye-tracking assessments to characterize neural activity, oculomotor function, and neurobehavioral performance.

The Director will guide the scientific interpretation of physiological data, assess relationships between modalities, and work with computational scientists to develop appropriate analytical approaches. Particular emphasis will be placed on distinguishing meaningful physiological changes from measurement variability, identifying longitudinal patterns, and evaluating relationships between physiological function, cognitive performance, and exposure-related outcomes.

The Director will supervise research personnel, coordinate assessment activities across remote and in-person study visits, and collaborate with investigators and external partners to ensure the scientific rigor, consistency, and translational relevance of the research.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Neuroscience, Human Physiology, Biomedical Engineering, Biological Sciences, Experimental Psychology or a closely related discipline, and 5–7 years of relevant research experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated expertise in human physiology, neuroscience, or neurophysiology, with experience designing, implementing, or interpreting human physiological assessments.
• Experience with physiological measurement technologies, including electrophysiology, wearable monitoring, autonomic assessments, or neurobehavioral testing.
• Strong understanding of the physiological basis and interpretation of measurements related to brain function, autonomic regulation, sleep, and human performance.
• Experience developing and implementing research protocols and standardized assessment procedures.
• Ability to critically evaluate physiological data, recognize measurement artifacts and confounding factors, and distinguish meaningful biological changes from technical variability.
• Experience supervising or mentoring research personnel and coordinating multidisciplinary research activities.
• Excellent scientific communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with clinical investigators, engineers, computational scientists, and external research partners.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree (MS, PhD, MD, or equivalent) in Neuroscience, Human Physiology, Neurophysiology, Biomedical Engineering, Experimental Psychology, or a related field.
• Experience in human performance research, cognitive neuroscience, autonomic physiology, or integrative systems physiology.
• Experience with EEG acquisition, analysis, and physiological interpretation, including wearable EEG technologies such as Muse.
• Experience with wearable physiological monitoring platforms such as WHOOP and the interpretation of sleep, heart rate, heart rate variability, activity, and recovery measures.
• Experience with eye tracking, oculomotor function, vestibular assessments, or neurobehavioral testing.
• Familiarity with sleep physiology and the interpretation of physiological sleep measurements.
• Experience integrating physiological measurements with cognitive, clinical, and neuroimaging data.
• Familiarity with physiological signal processing, statistical analysis, and computational approaches to multimodal data integration.
• Experience conducting longitudinal human research, including studies of occupational exposures, neurological conditions, or military populations.
• Experience collaborating with industry partners and evaluating emerging physiological monitoring technologies.
• Scientific publication record in neuroscience, physiology, human performance, or related biomedical research.

Research Environment

The successful candidate will join a multidisciplinary team conducting research at the intersection of human physiology, neuroscience, neuroimaging, and computational biomedical science.

VESPER provides an opportunity to investigate the effects of occupational and environmental exposures on integrated brain and body function through longitudinal physiological monitoring and comprehensive laboratory-based assessments.

The Director will play a central role in developing and validating objective physiological and neurobehavioral measures of human health, performance, recovery, and resilience, with potential applications extending beyond VESPER to other neurological and precision healthcare research programs.

Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School

Perelman School of Medicine

Pay Range

$80,891.00 - $120,000.00 Annual Rate

Salary offers are made based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, and in alignment with salary ranges based on external market data for the job’s level. Internal organization and peer data at Penn are also considered.

Equal Opportunity Statement 

The University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin (including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics), citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any class protected under applicable federal, state or local law.

Special Requirements 
Background checks may be required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.

University Benefits

• Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Accounts: Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family’s health and welfare. You can also use flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.

• Tuition: Take advantage of Penn's exceptional tuition benefits. You, your spouse, and your dependent children can get tuition assistance here at Penn. Your dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.

• Retirement: Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn’s Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.

• Time Away from Work: Penn provides you with a substantial amount of time away from work during the course of the year. This allows you to relax, take vacations, attend to personal affairs, recover from illness or injury, spend time with family—whatever your personal needs may be.

• Long-Term Care Insurance: In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you’re newly hired, you won’t have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof of good health and are subject to underwriting.

• Wellness and Work-life Resources: Penn is committed to supporting our faculty and staff as they balance the competing demands of work and personal life. That’s why we offer a wide variety of programs and resources to help you care for your health, your family, and your work-life balance.

• Professional and Personal Development: Penn provides an array of resources to help you advance yourself personally and professionally.

• University Resources: As a member of the Penn community, you have access to a wide range of University resources as well as cultural and recreational activities. Take advantage of the University’s libraries and athletic facilities, or visit our arboretum and art galleries. There’s always something going on at Penn, whether it’s a new exhibit at the Penn Museum, the latest music or theater presentation at the Annenberg Center, or the Penn Relays at Franklin Field to name just a few examples. As a member of the Penn community, you’re right in the middle of the excitement—and you and your family can enjoy many of these activities for free.

• Discounts and Special Services: From arts and entertainment to transportation and mortgages, you'll find great deals for University faculty and staff. Not only do Penn arts and cultural centers and museums offer free and discounted admission and memberships to faculty and staff. You can also enjoy substantial savings on other goods and services such as new cars from Ford and General Motors, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, and admission to theme parks.

• Flexible Work Hours: Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments. These approaches involve use of non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.

• Penn Home Ownership Services: Penn offers a forgivable loan for eligible employees interested in buying a home or currently residing in West Philadelphia, which can be used for closing costs or home improvements.

• Adoption Assistance: Penn will reimburse eligible employees on qualified expenses in connection with the legal adoption of an eligible child, such as travel or court fees, for up to two adoptions in your household.

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To learn more, please visit: https://www.hr.upenn.edu/PennHR/benefits-pay