Regulatory Science for Engineering Intuitive, Engaging, Safe and Effective Human-Device Interaction

Interested in gaining research experience in Medical Device Design and Regulatory Science?
Spend twelve weeks this summer performing research in regulatory science of medical devices at the Cullen College of Engineering at the University of Houston (UH), Houston, Texas — and earn a $6,000 stipend! Travel and Student Residence Housing will be provided!

Regulatory Science is the science of developing new tools, standards, and approaches to assess the safety, efficacy, quality, and performance of medical devices. This first-of-its-kind REU Site will expose participants to best design and engineering practices, assessment tools, and new computational methods to support early-stage medical device development and their evaluation so that as a nation, we can keep up with the accelerated pace of medical device and biomedical technology development and innovation. REU trainees will be paired with diverse mentors from the IUCRC BRAIN at UH. This unique 12-week research, mentoring, and educational experience will give participants insight into the development of regulatory science tools to assess safety, effectiveness, or benefit of a medical device or emerging technology as well as an understanding of the evaluation process for medical products. Participants can select their focus for the duration of the program from various projects applying concepts of user-centered design, engineering, data science, and computational modeling.

For more information on the REU program, click on the links on the top left of each web page.

Basic Application Requirements

• To apply, please visit https://etap.nsf.gov, click on “Search Opportunities” (top menu) and enter “University of Houston” or “Regulatory Science” in the search bar.  Click on “Apply Now” for the opportunity titled “Regulatory Science for Engineering Intuitive, Engaging, Safe and Effective Human-Device Interaction REU Site”.

In the twelve-week REU program:

• Build research laboratory skills.
• Develop written and oral presentation skills.
• Get training in regulatory science of biomedical devices.
• Establish a professional network.
• Learn to use state of the art biomedical instrumentation.
• Participate in STEM activities in the Houston and Washington DC metropolitan area.
• Disseminate your results at the REU Symposium to be held at the end of the internship.

Research Projects:

Eight examples of REU project descriptions within the theme “Regulatory Science for Engineering Intuitive, Engaging, Safe and Effective Human-Device Interaction,” are given below along with any specific project qualification necessary for success (e.g. specific courses or recommended background). These project descriptions and requirements are commensurate with successfully completed REU projects in past years. Additional workshops will be provided to REU participants, including Matlab programming, signal processing, statistics, etc. as needed.

• Project 1: Open-Access Database as a Tool for Development and Assessment of Novel Algorithms Deriving Gait Metrics through Wearables
  (Contreras-Vidal, UH BMI Lab; Kimberly Kontson, FDA)
• Project 2: Multi-scale non-clinical assessment of the cellular effects of active devices on nervous tissue
  (Jianfeng Zheng, UH CEMC; Eugene Civillico, FDA)
• Project 3: Investigating the Biophysical Mechanisms of Focused Ultrasound Neuromodulation to Develop a Parameter Space for Predicting the Safety and Therapeutic Effects of Focused Ultrasound Neuromodulation Devices
  (Contreras-Vidal, UH BMI Lab; Hongchae Baek, FDA)
• Project 4: Development of cellular biomarkers for clinical diagnosis of retinal diseases
  (Zhuolin Liu, FDA)
• Project 5: Integrating open-source components into a 5G testbed for evaluating connected medical devices
  (Ji Chen, UH CEMC/BRAIN; Dr. Omar Al Kalaa, Electromagnetic Compatibility Lab)
• Project 6: Identifying Cardiopulmonary Interactions in Polytrauma for Evaluating the Simultaneous Operation of Physiological Closed-Loop Controlled Medical Devices
  (UH PI; Dr. Ramin Bighamian, Interoperability)
• Project 7: Development of bench test phantom and safety simulation for pediatric transcranial ultrasound therapy
  (Yunbo Liu, FDA)
• Project 8: MR safety of the Interchangeability of Active Implantable Devices (AIMDs)
  (Ji Chen, UH Lab; Dr. Ananda Kumar, EMC lab)

Completed applications will be reviewed on a first-come-first-served basis. We encourage you to send application materials early. Each complete application will be acknowledged via email, and all applicants will be notified in a rolling basis as to their status.

Stipend: $6,000

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Jose L Contreras-Vidal at jlcontreras-vidal [at] uh.edu (jlcontreras-vidal[at]uh[dot]edu)