Paid Master’s/PhD thesis position on "CMOS Design of Neuromorphic Electrochemical Imagers for Advanced Organ Modeling and Medical Discovery on Chip"

19 Jan 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas

Department

INSTITUTO DE MICROELECTRONICA DE BARCELONA

Research Field

Engineering » Electronic engineering
Engineering » Electrical engineering
Engineering » Biomedical engineering
Engineering » Microengineering
Technology » Micro-technology

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

Spain

Application Deadline

29 Feb 2024 - 23:59 (Europe/Madrid)

Type of Contract

To be defined

Job Status

Full-time

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

European Union / Next Generation EU

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

Yes

Offer Description

"Organ-on-chip" (OoC) technology - understood as the microfabrication of cell culture devices to model functional
units of human organs in vitro - has seen significant advancements in recent years. OoC is transforming biomedical research by replicating organ-level physiology within complex and controlled microenvironments. However, its progress is hindered by current knowledge gaps in the spatiotemporal dynamics involved in the development of organoids, which are three-dimensional cell tissue cultures with enormous potential to revolutionize the control over specific physiological and pathological responses of human organs in OoC.

In this project, you will collaborate with a multidisciplinary team with expertise in neuroscience, microelectronics, chemistry, and computational biology, incorporating the latest advances in CMOS biochemical sensors and neuromorphic engineering to develop the first smart biochip for precise interpretation of organoid biochemical activity in organ-on-chip platforms. You will investigate new ultra-low-power ICs for the readout of micron-sized
sensor arrays for electrochemical imaging, which can be integrated to provide comprehensive electrochemical
analyses in the miniaturized dimensions of organoids-on-chip. The readout circuits will be optimized to (i) deliver
tunable compression of interfering components to enhance measuring resolution, and (ii) distributed event-based
encoding to boost performance in posterior neuro-AI processing stages.

Your tasks:

• Design of neuromorphic readout architectures for multimodal sensing. This includes developing sensor analog frontends, asynchronous A/D converters, and the digital communication stages. You will integrate your circuit proposals in sub-micron CMOS technologies;
• Tape-out of your own custom chips and electrochemical characterization;
• Integration into a lab-on-a-chip device and validation through biochemical assays carried on real organoids.

Your profile:

• Finishing a Master’s degree in Electronics/IT Engineering (or similar) covering analog/mixed-signal VLSI design; 
• Competence with Cadence EDA tools for CMOS circuit design;
• Experience with PCB design and FPGA/embedded systems programming;
• Research-oriented attitude, capable of taking initiatives and with a solid problem-solving attitude;
• Ability to work in an interdisciplinary team;
• Fluent in spoken and written English.

What we offer:

• Full-time employment for 3 years (extendable), with an official go/no-go assessment within 6 months;
• An excellent technical infrastructure in a stimulating, multidisciplinary, and dynamic environment;
• Extensive benefits package for work-life balance in line with Spanish Administration’s and CSIC’s regulations;
• International collaboration network with possibility to perform research stays among partners in related European and National projects;
• Personalized hands-on training on cutting-edge technology topics with links to industry;
• Opportunity to join an ongoing startup project as entrepreneur.

Application procedure:

If you identify with this offer please contact Dr. Josep Maria Margarit-Taulé by sending the following information to [email protected] :

• A brief description of your main motivation for joining our team;
• Your CV, highlighting relevant experience and accomplishments in related areas;
• Contact details of at least 2 references;
• A transcript of your academic records including undergraduate and master’s studies.

CSIC is committed to creating equal opportunities for people, independently of gender, culture, and race. Anyone with relevant qualifications is therefore strongly encouraged to apply for the position.

Requirements

Research Field

Engineering » Electronic engineering

Education Level

Bachelor Degree or equivalent

Research Field

Engineering » Electronic engineering

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Research Field

Engineering » Biomedical engineering

Education Level

Bachelor Degree or equivalent

Research Field

Engineering » Biomedical engineering

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Research Field

Technology » Information technology

Education Level

Bachelor Degree or equivalent

Research Field

Technology » Information technology

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Research Field

Engineering » Electrical engineeringEngineering » Electronic engineeringEngineering » Biomedical engineering

Research Field

Technology » Information technologyTechnology » Micro-technology

Additional Information
Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas

Country

Spain

State/Province

Barcelona

City

Cerdanyola del Valles

Geofield

Where to apply

E-mail

[email protected]

Contact

State/Province

Barcelona

City

Cerdanyola del Valles

Website

http://www.imb-cnm.csic.es

Street

c/ del Til.lers s/n Campus UAB

Postal Code

08193

STATUS: EXPIRED