PhD Student in the fields of Biomechanics and Bioinspiration (a)

Job content

Materials science and technology are our passion. With our cutting-edge research, Empa’s around 1,100 employees make essential contributions to the well-being of society for a future worth living. Empa is a research institution of the ETH Domain.

Our Laboratory for Mechanics of Materials and Nanostructures is looking for a PhD Student for the EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network (MSCA DN) GAP ("image-Guided computational and experimental Analysis of fractured Patients").

General Overview Of The GAP MSCA Doctoral Network

Age-related bone fractures are a major health concern, resulting worldwide in high economic and psycho- social burden, morbidity and increasing mortality. With aging and in presence of bone pathologies, human bone becomes more brittle and prone to damage.

A disruptive clinical hypothesis considers Covid-19 virus as an additional contributing factor in bone deterioration. At the macro-scale, the identification of fragility is assured by the clinical practice: common clinical tools, however, are able to predict only 70% of fractures. For this reason, a deep investigation of the bone micro-architecture would be a fundamental hint for the comprehension of damage mechanisms, improving the reliability of fracture risk indicators and performing more accurate diagnosis of bone pathologies. This knowledge level goes beyond the current state of the art and this is where GAP comes into play, providing attractive, multi-disciplinary and versatile training strategies for multi-scale comprehension, detection and patient-specific treatments of bone fractures. The over-arching aim of GAP proposal is to educate young and talented scientists towards a combined high-level experimental and numerical approach for the early-stage accurate, precise detection and mini-invasive treatments of bone fractures, shedding some light on bone micro-scale alterations due to pathologies. The inter-disciplinary findings, that exploit cutting-edge multi-scale imaging facilities and advanced artificial intelligent-based strategies, will be a crucial aspect in the training of skilled researchers and will enable Europe to overcome the silent paralysis of its healthcare system. More information can be found here: https://www.gapmscaproject.com/

Your tasks

You will investigate structure-property relationships and the fracture behavior of lamellar bone at the microscale. In collaboration with clinical and academic partners from the MSCA doctoral network, you will assess whether systematic changes in the fracture behavior of bone can be identified as a function of pathology by assessing composition, structure, and properties of patient biopsies. Finally, in this interdisciplinary project at the interface of biomedical engineering, nanofabrication, and materials science, you will design, synthesize, and characterize nanocomposites and architectured metamaterials inspired by the hierarchical structure of bone for tissue engineering applications. You will be enrolled in the doctoral program in Materials Science (EDMX) at École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) under the supervision of Prof. Johann Michler and Dr. Jakob Schwiedrzik. During the course of the project, you will work in a multidisciplinary team and use state of the art methods such as nanoindentation, Raman spectroscopy, 2 photon lithography, electron microscopy, and numerical simulations. Your research will contribute to understanding the effect of disease on the composition and multiscale fracture properties of bone and their impact on individual fracture risk as well as to developing novel hybrid materials with improved toughness for biomedical applications.

Your profile

You must hold a Master’s or an equivalent Degree in Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, or closely related fields. A high motivation to work at the leading edge of biomedical research in an international, multidisciplinary team is essential. Good knowledge of English (oral and written) is essential. Experience in biomedical or materials research is important, experience in nanofabrication and numerical simulations is desirable. As this position is part of a MSCA doctoral network, you are eligible to apply if you have not resided for more than 12 months in the last 3 years in Switzerland.

Our offer

A stimulating, international and collaborative research environment at a leading research institution with an excellent infrastructure and a broad interdisciplinary surrounding.

«a» stands for «all» in our job advertisements. We live a culture of inclusion and respect. We welcome all people who are interested in innovative, sustainable and meaningful activities - that’s what counts.

We look forward to receiving your complete online application including a letter of motivation, CV, certificates, diplomas and contact details of two reference persons. Please submit these exclusively via our job portal. Applications by e-mail and by post will not be considered.