PHD-student advanced engineering of human pumping heart tissues

The prospective PhD candidate will operate as part of a recently awarded EIC Pathfinder Challenge Consortium (“BioRobot-MiniHeart”). The PhD candidate position is available immediately. In this project we will use beyond-state-of-the-art solutions to engineer a living functional heart tissues with complex architectures, which will be used as in vitro models for fundamental research as well as drug screening.

The aim of the presently available PhD-position is to generate key cardiac cell-types from human iPS cells for the engineering of a functional pumping mini-heart. You will therefore work on the multidisciplinary interface of stem and cardiac cell biology, molecular engineering, materials science and microengineering. This will develop a wide skill set which will include tissue engineering, induced pluripotent cell culture and differentiation, CRISPR-Cas9-mediated genome editing, microfabrication, 3D printing, assay development  and writing high impact scientific publications.

• You hold a master's degree in Biomedical Engineering, Materials Science, Biomedical Sciences, or an equivalent master's education;
• You have excellent analytical skills and an innate ability for solution oriented problem solving;
• You have experience in stem cell cultures and differentiation, CRISPR-Cas-9 mediated genome editing, cardiovascular biology, and/or tissue engineering.
• You have a strong interest in 3D (bio) printing, microfluidics, microfabrication, physics and advanced optical imaging techniques will be considered as a benefit.
• You possess excellent social and communication skills, in academic as well as non-academic contexts.
• You love working in a team in which fundamental and applied research cross-fertilize.
• You have a creative and critical attitude, combined with perseverance and being flexible and stress-resistant.
• You are fluent in English language skills, both in speaking and writing.

• Fully paid fulltime position for four years
• The university offers a dynamic ecosystem with enthusiastic colleagues in a stimulating scientific environment.
• The PhD salary is € 2.541,- in the first year and increases to € 3.247,- in the fourth year.
• A holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary and a year-end bonus of 8.3%.
• A solid pension scheme.
• A professional and personal development program within Graduate School Twente.
• The number of holiday hours for full-time employment is 232 hours per calendar year.
• A personal development program within the Twente Graduate School.

About the department

The PhD-candidates will work in the Passier Lab, which is part of the department of Applied Stem Cell Technologies AST. We use stem cell and molecular technologies, organ-on-chip-devices, advanced tissue engineering to emulate and understand organ development and function in health and disease. We AST is part of the Technical Medical Centre of the University of Twente, which is widely recognized for its cutting-edge developments in biomedical technology and advanced biomanufacturing.

About the organisation

The Faculty of Science & Technology (Technische Natuurwetenschappen, TNW) engages some 700 staff members and 2000 students in education and research on the cutting edge of chemical technology, applied physics and biomedical technology. Our fields of application include sustainable energy, process technology and materials science, nanotechnology and technical medicine. As part of a people-first tech university that aims to shape society, individuals and connections, our faculty works together intensively with industrial partners and researchers in the Netherlands and abroad, and conducts extensive research for external commissioning parties and funders. Our research has a high profile both in the Netherlands and internationally and is strengthened by the many young researchers working on innovative projects with as doctoral candidates and post-docs. It has been accommodated in three multidisciplinary UT research institutes: Mesa+ Institute, TechMed Centre and Digital Society Institute.

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