Why Join?
The Brains in Motion lab is committed to the career advancement of its members. We offer a diverse and inclusive environment with opportunities for members to develop their own projects and support for fellowships and career development awards.
Graduate Students
We are always seeking highly motivated graduate students to join our team. We accept students from a variety of graduate programs across the University of Minnesota, including the UMN Rehabilitation Science Graduate Program, Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program, and Graduate Program in Neuroscience.
Please read about admission requirements for each program. Applications are due in December of each year, and new students typically start the following Fall semester. A masters degree is not required, provided you have a strong academic record in a 4-year undergraduate degree (neuroscience, psychology, kinesiology, BME or related area) and some kind of lab-based research experience. If accepted into our lab as a PhD student, you will automatically be fully funded by research/teaching assistantships. This funding covers your tuition, health insurance, and stipend for living expenses.
Every student's path is unique, but here's a general roadmap of what a PhD in our lab would look like:
- PhD training across each graduate program spans 4–5 years. During the first two years, students complete their coursework while getting deeply embedded in ongoing lab projects, learning our equipment (EEG, TMS, motion capture, TCD, etc.), developing data collection and analysis skills, and building programming proficiency. This hands-on experience helps students identify the research questions that will shape their dissertation.
- By the end of year 2, students should have wrapped up coursework and successfully completed their preliminary/qualifying exam and orally defended their dissertation project proposal. As students progress, they are expected to take increasing ownership of their research by proactively drafting project aims, generating and refining their own ideas, and driving their work forward with growing independence. Dr. Palmer provides mentorship and guidance throughout this process. By this stage, data collection and analysis for their dissertation project should be well underway.
- The start of year 3 marks the transition to candidacy. Students focus on executing their dissertation studies and wrapping up any additional collaborative lab projects they've contributed to.
- In years 4–5, students complete and defend their dissertation, which is the final milestone of the program. By this point, most students have built a strong publication record, including multiple first-author papers from their dissertation and collaborative work, along with co-authorships on other lab publications.
We encourage interested students to contact Dr. Palmer with their CV, unofficial transcript, and a statement of research interest.
Undergraduate Students
We actively encourage undergraduate research in the Brains in Motion Lab. Undergraduate students who have a particular interest in biomechanics, neurophysiology, cardiovascular physiology, and rehabilitation can engage in mentored research projects. Undergraduates who are interested in either summer research or research throughout an academic year should contact Dr. Palmer with their CV and a summary of their research interests, their goals, their schedule, and their other time commitments. Interested students should be prepared to devote at least 5 hours per week to research.
Postdocs
We may have opportunities for postdocs of a variety of backgrounds in biomechanics, biomedical engineering, physiology and neuroscience to contribute to our ongoing projects. Potential candidates must have a PhD in a related field prior to start. We are especially interested in candidates with research expertise in human neurophysiology and brain aging-related questions. Those interested should contact Dr. Palmer. Please include your CV, a 1-2 page statement on your research experience and plans for postdoctoral research as you see them fitting with the lab, and contact information for 3 references.