Computational biology / Physicist / Materials Scientist/ Medical(bio) physicist PhD student (100%) (a)

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.

Empa will start a large research project aiming at the design of a precision, self-care integrated system to completely understand, simulate, and monitor skin wound evolution, with the ultimate aim to treat and even prevent chronic wounds. We will couple an in vitro analytical, omics-based platform to self-care wearables for spatiotemporal wound monitoring and patient-specific, timely wound treatment.

This is an interdisciplinary project on the development of biosensors for the monitoring of wound healing. The student will perform experiments and large-scale data analyses in order to guide design of sensors, which can instantly respond to disease-associated changes in patients’ clinical profiles. The work will involve close collaboration and frequent exchange with other Empa groups and with clinical partners. The student will perform cutting edge research work oriented towards direct clinical applications.

• Results-oriented and cooperative personality
• A background in computational biology, physics, medical(bio) physics, materials science or related field
• Interest in experimental work and data analysis
• Good knowledge of programming, statistics and machine learning
• A strong academic record with high University grades
• Strong communication skills with a good command of the English language

The project will involve Raman and Infrared spectroscopy measurements, analysis of patient omics datasets, usage of machine learning, statistical analyses and patient-driven optimization of biosensors’ design. This is a highly collaborative project with clearly defined individual tasks, but a strong synergy and shared vision among the groups. We work closely with clinicians and are committed to improving the life quality of the affected patients. This ambitious project will lead to development of innovative sensors with a high sensitivity and precision, which will support monitoring of patient’s status and enable timely medical interventions in a personalized way.

• A highly interdisciplinary and supportive environment with a cutting-edge research project
• High-level training in data analysis, statistics and machine learning
• Opportunities for a collaborative work with clinical partners
• A high potential for a direct clinical application of the work

The PhD position (100%) is for the duration of three years. It is based at Empa, St. Gallen andDübendorf, and it is available from November 2023, or upon mutual agreement. The student will matriculate from ETH Zurich and will be affiliated with the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics.

For questions about the position please contact Dr. Marija Buljan,marija.buljan@empa.ch or Dr. Mirjana Dimitrievska mirjana.dimitrievska@empa.ch

We look forward to receiving your complete online application including a letter of motivation, CV, certificates, diplomas, statement of research interests, and addresses of 2-3 potential referees.Please submit these exclusively via our job portal. Applications by e-mail and by post will not be considered.