PhD Cartilage Microtissue Growth and Fusion

Eindhoven University of Technology is an internationally top-ranking university in the Netherlands that combines scientific curiosity with a hands-on attitude. Our spirit of collaboration translates into an open culture and a top-five position in collaborating with advanced industries. Fundamental knowledge enables us to design solutions for the highly complex problems of today and tomorrow.

The Department of Biomedical Engineering offers top-level education and research in one of the most relevant and exciting scientific disciplines of the 21st century: engineering health. In combining engineering and life sciences, through challenge-based learning and a multidisciplinary approach in collaboration with hospitals, industry and others, the department addresses the great challenges of the future, striving to improve healthcare and society as a whole.

Introduction

Are you fascinated by scientific and technological innovations in cartilage tissue engineering and regeneration? Are you eager to push frontiers at the interface of (micro-)engineering, mechanics, and cartilage biology, using interdisciplinary approaches? Then you might be our next PhD candidate!

Job Description

Functional regeneration of articular cartilage in the joints is one of the holy grails of modern medicine. Damage and degeneration of this bone-lining tissue affects hundreds of millions worldwide, causing pain, disability, and a massive socioeconomic burden. In recent years, developmentally inspired tissue engineering (TE) approaches, relying on the assembly of self-organizing microtissue-based building blocks into larger constructs, have emerged as promising avenues for cartilage TE. However, current methods still lack coherent fusion and matrix remodeling of the individual building blocks. To unlock their full potential, a deeper understanding is needed of how microtissues self-organize, fuse, and remodel as they grow. As a PhD candidate, you will uncover new mechanobiological insights into these processes, which will contribute to improving cartilage regeneration strategies.

This PhD project will center around developing a novel experimental platform to investigate how mechanical confinement regulates growth and structural organization in cartilage microtissues, and how this could be harnessed in regenerative therapies. By combining stem cell culture with microengineered in vitro platforms and state-of-the-art characterization and analysis, you will uncover new insights into the parameters governing structural anisotropy in cartilage building blocks. Additionally, you will explore and define optimal routes to guide microtissue fusion into coherent and mechanically competent macroscale constructs. Your multidisciplinary work will mainly take place in our experimental labs (biomaterials fabrication, cell culture, microscopy, micromechanical characterization, mechanobiology, etc.), but may also involve a computational dimension (simulation, quantitative analysis) depending on the specific research question and capabilities of the PhD candidate.

As a PhD candidate, you will become an integral part of a dynamic and multidisciplinary environment of engineers, biologists, and clinicians across seniority levels, driving innovation in regenerative medicine. An educational and professional development program will be offered to you, and you will contribute to teaching activities and supervision of BSc and MSc students. You will be expected to present your PhD research at (inter-)national scientific conferences, publish in scientific journals, and complete a doctoral dissertation.

Embedding

This PhD project will be supervised by Dr. Sebastien Callens and Prof. Keita Ito, and you will become a member of the Orthopaedic Biomechanics (OPB) group. The OPB group researches a wide range of topics related to tissue engineering, mechanobiology, and biomechanics of bone, articular cartilage, intervertebral disc, and tendons/ligaments. The group synergizes advanced in vitro, ex vivo, and in silico approaches to uncover new fundamental insights into the properties, growth, and degeneration of orthopaedic tissues, as well as to develop novel regenerative engineering strategies. The OPB group is internationally recognized for its fundamental and translational research and is strongly connected to national and international collaborators and industrial partners.

The OPB group is part of the Regenerative Materials and Engineering cluster of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Eindhoven University of Technology. The department offers Bachelors and Masters education programs that are integrally linked to its research areas ranging across Chemical Biology, Biosensing, Biomaterials, Biomechanics, Tissue Engineering, Computational Biology, Biomedical Imaging and Modelling, with 800+ students and 200+ academic staff. Eindhoven University of Technology is an open and inclusive institute with short communication lines. The people are curious, collaborative, and strive for excellence in research and education at an internationally renowned level. Our lively campus community facilitates connections between staff and students, in an inclusive, friendly, vibrant atmosphere that welcomes and inspires, and is an integral part of the Dutch Brainport region.

Job Requirements

We are looking for a self-motivated, passionate, and highly talented candidate that meets the following requirements:

• An MSc degree (or equivalent) in Biomedical Engineering, Bioengineering, Biophysics, or related engineering/scientific fields.
• A research-oriented attitude and a strong drive to learn and push the state-of-the-art.
• A creative mindset, and the ability to take initiative.
• Experience with mammalian cell culture, hydrogels, microscopy, and mechanics is highly desired.
• Experience with cartilage tissue engineering, mechanobiology, microfabrication, mechanical characterization, and computational simulation/analysis is a plus.
• The ability to work collaboratively in interdisciplinary teams.
• Excellent communication skills, fluent in spoken and written English.

Conditions of Employment

• A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer you: 
• Full-time employment for four years, with an intermediate assessment after nine months. You will spend a minimum of 10% of your four-year employment on teaching tasks, with a maximum of 15% per year of your employment. 
• Salary and benefits (such as a pension scheme, paid pregnancy and maternity leave, partially paid parental leave) in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, scale P (min. € 2,901 max. € 3,707).  
• A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%. 
• High-quality training programs and other support to grow into a self-aware, autonomous scientific researcher. At TU/e we challenge you to take charge of your own learning process. 
• An excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus children's day care and sports facilities.  
• An allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs. 
• A Staff Immigration Team and a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) for international candidates. 

Information

Do you recognize yourself in this profile and would you like to know more? Please contact the hiring manager Dr. Sebastien Callens, [email protected]

Visit our website for more information about the application process or the conditions of employment. You can also contact HR advice BME, [email protected].

Are you inspired and would like to know more about working at TU/e? Please visit our career page.

Application

We invite you to submit a complete application by using the apply button. Please do not submit applications via email, but only through the official application page.

The application should include a:

• Cover letter in which you describe your motivation for this position and relevant qualifications and experience.
• A detailed curriculum vitae, including a list of your publications (if applicable), and the contact information of two references.
• A transcript of your MSc course grades.

We look forward to receiving your application and will screen it as soon as possible. The vacancy will remain open until the position is filled.