PhD Position Next-Generation Opto-Mechanical Microchips to Analyse Cell Biomechanics

Challenge: Realize next-gen instruments to unravel cell bio-mechanics.
Change: Integrating opto-mechanical microchip sensors with advanced bio-materials.
Impact: Unravel cell behaviour for new medicine.

In-depth understanding of the mechanical behaviour of biological cells is essential to making medical advances. Enhancing this understanding requires next-generation instruments that measure the mechanical action and properties of living cells precisely. As a PhD candidate, you will work towards such a revolutionary instrument by combining our laboratories’ cutting-edge research into photonic and opto-mechanical microchips, advanced material engineering, and cell biomechanics.

Cell growth, proliferation and differentiation are complex dynamic processes that are guided by a host of factors, including mechanical cues like tissue geometry, surface properties and stiffness. Unravelling these complexities requires next-generation cell analysis instruments that can measure individual cells’ morphological, mechanical and molecular properties with ultra-high precision, resolution, and speed. The aim of your multidisciplinary research is to realise such an instrument based on microchip technology, by combining photonic microchips with opto-mechanical sensing, advanced biomaterials and 3D bioprinting. You will leverage your physics or engineering knowledge and skills in device design, fabrication, and in vitro testing on individual cells. With this microchip cell analysis instrument, you will contribute to unravelling cell biomechanics, which will drive the development of new medicine.

Your project is a collaboration of the Departments of Precision and Microsystems Engineering (PME) and Biomechanical Engineering (BE). Our laboratories, where you will be conducting your experiments, are well equipped with state-of-the-art fabrication and characterisation facilities including photonic, nanomechanical, biomechanical, and 3D bioprinting instruments. You will join our two teams of driven, internationally diverse PhD candidates, postdocs and Master students. Ours is an inspiring, friendly and a supportive environment, in which we collaborate closely and share ideas and knowledge. As a PhD student, you will be given the opportunity to coach and supervise Master students and you will receive all the training you need to evolve into an independent researcher and scientist.