JOB DESCRIPTION
This form summarises the purpose of the job and lists its key tasks
It may be varied from time to time at the discretion of the College in consultation with the postholder
Job Title:
Job ref no: VBS/0090/10
Postdoctoral Researcher -POST B
Control of Legged Locomotion (Structure and Motion Lab)
Grade: 6
Department: Veterinary Basic Sciences
Accountable to: Dr Andrew Spence and Dr Monica Daley
Responsible for: n/a
Job summary:
Research- To carry out research in the Structure and Motion Laboratory (SML) on interdisciplinary projects in the area of
Comparative Neuromechanics. You will work as part of an exciting interdisciplinary team at the interface of
biomechanics, neurophysiology, robotics engineering and dynamical systems theory. There are two funded postdoctoral
posts, Post A and Post B. A high degree of integration within the team is expected, and the responsibilities of each post
will depend on individual skills and interests. For both posts, you will be a team player, keen to study moving animals and
develop new robotic control systems, with a passion for undertaking high quality research and addressing questions in
neuromechanical control.
This is a two year post with the goal to develop theoretical models of bipedal locomotion that exhibit robust stability in
uneven terrain. The models will focus on whole-body dynamics in relation to leg actuation, compliance and recirculation
features, and will be informed by experimental data from ground birds. We will test the models in a new bipedal robot
designed to embody the general, high level control features of bipedal animals. This will be a collaborative effort between
the Structure and Motion Lab and the Dynamic Robotics Laboratory at Oregon State University
(http://mime.oregonstate.edu/research/drl/), directed by Co-PI Dr Jonathan Hurst. It will be essential for the postdoc to
work closely with researchers at both SML and DRL. The postholder will be based at the Structure and Motion Lab, and
will be expected to travel internationally for several weeks each year for conferences and project meetings with the
collaborative team. For this post you should have a PhD in physics, math, engineering or a related field and have a good
understanding of dynamical systems theory.
You will work with the Investigators as part of a team, collaborating extensively with two further postdoctoral researchers
with complementary skills, two postgraduate students at the Structure and Motion Lab, and the collaborative group in the
Dynamic Robotics Laboratory at Oregon State University. The project is further supported by the technical staff of the
Structure and Motion Group. Mentorship and interaction with postgraduate students is encouraged and expected.
Principal Investigators on this research are:
Dr Monica Daley, Lecturer in Locomotor Biomechanics in the Structure & Motion Lab, Royal Veterinary College. Daley's
research interests span muscle physiology, neuromuscular control and mechanics of locomotion. Current research in her
team focuses on understanding how bipedal animals achieve economic, stable and agile locomotion in uneven terrain, and
collaborating with robotics engineers to translate biologically inspired control principles into technological applications.
Dr Andrew Spence is an RCUK Research Fellow in Biomechanics in the Structure & Motion Laboratory. The goal of his
research is to discover how the neural, muscular, and skeletal components of an organism work together to produce
locomotion. He takes an integrative and collaborative approach that fuses experiments, novel instrumentation, and both
mathematical and physical (robot) modelling.
Dr Jonathan Hurst is Assistant Professor of Robotics and Mechanical Design and Director of the Dynamic Robotics
Laboratory at Oregon State University. His group explore, design, and build robotic systems that move swiftly and can
easily handle impacts and kinetic energy transfer. His team will be designing biologically inspired bipedal robots and
collaborating with the SML to compare the performance of these robots to that of animals.
Main duties and responsibilities:
 Develop theoretical models of walking and running that predict stability, robustness and energy cost of bipedal
locomotion over uneven terrain.
 Assist in the design of perturbation experiments on ground birds to test theoretical models.
 Compare models to experimental data on animals moving over complex terrain.
 Manage the day-to-day running of the projects, working under the supervision of the Investigators as part of
collaborative team including researchers from both the Structure and Motion Lab and the Dynamic Robotics Lab.

To write up the research results for publication in high-impact peer-reviewed journals.
 Follow Good Research Practice, Health and Safety and Ethics policies as applicable to the work.
 Other activities will include development of novel methods, intellectual contribution to the SML research group as a
whole, and a modest amount of student project supervision.
Competency: Research experience
Key tasks:
 Use knowledge from previous experience to conduct the research on the grant project. Relevant experience
includes dynamical systems theory, robotics, modelling and simulation, control theory and experimental
biomechanics.
 Collect, analyse and communicate results of the grant project, including analysis of models and comparison of
models to experimental data on animals.
 Publish the project results in international quality peer-reviewed journals. It is desirable that the candidate have an
established publication record in related research.
Competency: Skills and knowledge
 Develop programs to run simulations and analyse experimental data using appropriate computer software (e.g.
Python, Linux, Matlab; LabVIEW, C++, R or equivalent).
Competency: Team Work and Motivation
Key tasks:
 Enthusiasm for undertaking high quality research and addressing new challenges in an interdisciplinary, collaborative
research team.
 Ability to coordinate a cohesive, productive collaborative effort among the researchers from diverse academic
backgrounds at the Structure and Motion Lab and Dynamic Robotics Lab.
Competency: Communication
Key tasks:
 Participate and contribute to group scientific meetings and to the intellectual environment of the Structure and Motion
Lab.
 Collate and analyse research results, communicating them effectively, both verbally and in writing, to members of the
research team and to the broader scientific community.
Competency: Planning & Organisation
Key tasks:
 Manage records and data archives in both electronic and hard copy formats as required for Health and Safety and
Good Research Practice.
Competency: Initiative & Problem Solving
Key tasks:
 Assist in the design and refinement of new experimental methods as required to test theoretical models as part of the
grant project.
Flexibility: To deliver services effectively, a degree of flexibility is needed, and the postholder may be required to perform
work not specifically referred to above.