Post-Doctoral Research Visit F/M Brain-heart modeling and analysis for Athletes' stress assessment

The Inria Saclay-Île-de-France Research Centre was established in 2008. It has developed as part of the Saclay site in partnership with Paris-Saclay University and with the Institut Polytechnique de Paris .

The centre has 41 project teams , 27 of which operate jointly with Paris-Saclay University and the Institut Polytechnique de Paris; Its activities occupy over 600 people, scientists and research and innovation support staff, including 44 different nationalities.

Athletes face significant physical and mental stress during training and competition, which can hinder performance and threaten long-term health.

Developing reliable, objective tools for stress assessment remains a major challenge, due to the complexity and individual specificity of stress responses.

The ANR project 3CI brings together an interdisciplinary team to develop robust stress indicators by combining multimodal physiological and neural recordings (EEG, fNIRS, ECG, blood pressure, and PPG) with advanced signal processing, mathematical modeling, and artificial intelligence.

This project aims to provide new insights into brain-heart interactions and to enable reliable stress monitoring strategies for athletes.

 We invite applications for a two-year postdoctoral position starting in January 2026!

The successful candidate will join the BOOST project team at Inria Paris-Saclay and contribute to two central work packages of the project:

Integrating signal analysis and artificial intelligence for characterizing brain-heart interplay and defining relevant stress indicators.

Developing robust mathematical and computational models of the brain-heart interaction under stress, combining physiological modeling, dynamical systems theory, and data-driven methods.

The postdoc will work in close collaboration with an interdisciplinary group of researchers and students in control theory, signal processing, neuroscience, and sports science.

 We are looking for a highly motivated researcher with the following qualifications:
- PhD in applied mathematics, control theory, signal processing, biomedical engineering, or a related field.
- Strong background in mathematical modeling (preferably physiological systems) and/or control theory.
- Experience in signal processing and artificial intelligence methods (time-series analysis, machine learning, multimodal integration).
- Interest in interdisciplinary research at the interface of mathematics, health, and sports.
- Good programming skills
- Strong teamwork and communication abilities.

- Interested candidates should send the following documents in a single PDF file to taous-meriem.laleg@inria.fr
- A CV, including a full list of publications.
- A cover letter describing research interests and fit for the project.
- Contact information for two references.

Open until fulfilled
Starting date: January 2026

Main activities

• Analyse neuro-cardiovascular coupling patterns related to stress.
• Analyse EEG, ECG and blood pressure signals in response to cognitive, physiological and physical stressors.
• Develop models combining AI, physiological signals and theoretical models to provide reliable indicators of stress.
• Collaborate and interact with our INSEP partners to collect data from athletes.
• Publish and present the results obtained.

Additional activities

• Present the progress of the work to partners.
• Interact with the team's doctoral students and interns.

-Strong background in mathematical modeling (preferably physiological systems) and/or control theory.
-Experience in signal processing and artificial intelligence methods (time-series analysis, machine learning, multimodal integration).
-Interest in interdisciplinary research at the interface of mathematics, health, and sports.
-Good programming skills
-Strong teamwork and communication abilities.

- Canteen and cafeteria;

- Sports equipment;

- Transport reimbursement

€2,788 gross per month