ESBiomech24 Congress in Edinburgh

ESB22 Porto: Submission for Perspective talk open

SAVE THE DATES: JOIN US FOR THE ESB 2022 Congress in PORTO Portugal, 26 – 29 JUNE, 2022!

https://esbiomech2022.org

Submission for perspective talks is now open!

Submission deadline: November 30, 2021

Perspective talks:

-> are given by a senior researcher (group leader/Principal Investigator)
-> will open each parallel session and should be a “mini-keynote” with focus on a cutting edge, coherent body of research
-> their objective is to increase intergenerational networking and to give young scientists the opportunity to learn from those with more experience

For submissions:

https://www.conftool.com/esbiomech2022/

More info:

Call for bids hosting ESB 25

The ESB invites proposals for the organization of its annual congress in 2025. If you would like to host and organize the 2025 ESB congress and wish to prepare and submit a bid, please read the conference rules.

Interested members can contact or send a proposal/bid to Dr Enrico Dall’Ara, Chair of the Meetings and External Affairs Committee (e.dallara(at)sheffield.ac.uk),

The deadline for bid submission (first step) to organize the ESB 2025 is 15 December 2021.

ESB21 ONLINE: a few weeks to go!

We are pleased to share some news about the upcoming The ESB2021 congress, that will be an online event.

Face-to-face meeting is not possible, and we’ll miss friendly discussions, gathering, social dinner, and being in company with friends and colleagues. However, the local organisers are working hard to make this event a rewarding experience.

In addition to scientific parallel sessions, virtual student events, virtual boots for sponsors, other online initiatives, like mentoring sessions, are being to be prepared.

Furthermore, it is our intention is to take advantage of this format to maintain interaction between participants not only in the 3 days of the congress, but also in the post-congress period; to this purpose, recording of all presentations will be available for streaming after the congress.

Keep updated about the latest news visiting the website:

https://esbiomech.org/conference/esb2021/

Don’t miss the introductory video in our ESB YouTube channel:

Virtual Scientific Meeting of the Austrian Chapter of ESB November 30th

A virtual Scientific Meeting of the Austrian Chapter of ESB will take place on Monday, November 30, 2020, 09:30-16:30. 

Please see the agenda for download. 

Please pre-register yourself for the Zoom webinar – see below. After registering, you will automatically receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Please feel free to forward the announcement to any interested colleague.

Practical guidelines: 
* Delegates joining the meeting using the provided link, will have the default capabilities of an „Attendee“, meaning they can observe the meeting content but cannot use their microphone, video or share their screen.

* Delegates are encouraged to submit their questions on-line on the Zoom Q&A at any time during the presentation. After each presentation, the chair will summarize the questions and ask them on behalf of the attendees.

* Attendees are requested to login at the meeting with their full name allowing the organizers to keep track of the participants.

——

You are invited to a Zoom webinar. 
When: Nov 30, 2020 09:30 AM Vienna 
Topic: Scientific meeting of Austrian Chapter of ESB

Register in advance for this webinar:
https://tuwien.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3HR2DuWhRsmN7gu9Z_nGLQ


PostDoc @Heriot-Watt Edinburgh

Postdoctoral Research Associate in Multiscale Mechanics of Mineralised Tissues

Vacancy Details

Job ReferenceIRC27904
Closing Date8 Aug 2020 23:00 (UK time)
Salary£32,817– £38,017 (Grade 7)
LocationEdinburgh
DepartmentInstitute of Mechanical, Process and Energy Engineering
CategoryAcademic and Research
StatusFull-time
Duration of Contract (months)36 months
Informal enquiries by email to:Dr Uwe Wolfram at u.wolfram@hw.ac.uk
How to apply:https://www.hw.ac.uk/uk/jobs/job_SVJDMjc5MDQ.htm

About our Team

We are excited to be able to recruit a postdoctoral research associate in the area of Multiscale Mechanics of Mineralised Tissues to the Biomechanics group at Heriot-Watt University. The selected candidate will join a multidisciplinary team to work on a Leverhulme Trust funded project seeking to understand rapid cold-water coral habitat loss in a future ocean. Specifically, we seek to understand how climate change induced ocean acidification and bioerosion affect the multiscale mechanical properties of cold-water coral reefs and how these effects may accelerate reef-habitat loss.

The selected candidate will be based at Heriot-Watt University joining a multidisciplinary team working on multiscale mechanics of biologic tissues and structures. This is a joint project with the Changing Oceans Group at the University of Edinburgh, which conducts incubation experiments on live and dead coral skeletons under projected future conditions. The selected candidate will benefit from co-supervision by Dr Sebastian Hennige of the Changing Oceans Group along with visiting scholar access to University of Edinburgh.      

Detailed Description of Position

Ocean acidification threatens deep-sea coral reefs and could lead to dramatic and rapid loss of the habitat they make. Here we combine biology and engineering approaches to quantify the risk and time scales of such habitat loss. Increases in porosity and loss of skeletal material in structurally critical parts of the coral reef foundation could lead to physical habitat collapse on an ecosystem scale, reducing its potential to support associated biodiversity. Our unique interdisciplinary approach will identify the timescales and conditions such ‘tipping points’ would occur within, to allow more effective future management of these vulnerable ecosystems.

To do so, we seek to (i) quantify skeletal dissolution rates under different future oceanic conditions (primarily delivered by University of Edinburgh); (ii) develop a simulation framework that allows quantification of failure rates of coral skeletons; (iii) use results from (i) and (ii) to scale up to larger reef-type structures and estimate tipping points of habitat loss. The successful candidate will also develop and conduct characterisation and validation experiments based on extensive expertise in multiscale experimentation. The successful candidate will work closely with our collaborators (with regular joint meetings) to link results of (ii) and (iii) to the marine-biological aspects (i). The successful candidate will also work with our partners within JNCC (Joint Nature Conservation Committee) and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, US Department of Commerce) to foster dissemination along the policy making route. This is an exciting new project with scope to contribute significantly to tackling some of the most pressing global challenges.

The successful candidate will make use of our excellent facilities including dedicated biomedical tissue laboratories, and cutting-edge equipment including a broad suite of tissue processing equipment, mechanical testing equipment, imaging equipment (micro-CT, microscopy and optical coherence tomography) and a dedicated node on a high-performance cluster for computation.

We are looking for someone who is ambitious and collaborative, with a passion for developing solution for pressing global challenges.  The post will be for 36 months.  There may be the opportunity for the post holder to develop their own fellowship applications during this post, with support from the PI.

The successful candidate will work in two departments that have an international reputation for engineering, strong expertise in biomedical engineering as well as marine biology, and world-class equipment and facilities.  

Key Duties and Responsibilities

The successful appointee will be expected to undertake the following:

  • Plan and execute work plans to progress investigations into the multiscale mechanical behaviour from ‘crystal building block to reef’
  • Lead and contribute to research dissemination (i.e. papers and conference attendance)
  • Work closely with the PI and collaborators to analyse, interpret, and present experimental and modelling data
  • Work closely with other postdoctoral associates, PhD students and collaborators to ensure smooth research team function
  • Participate actively in group meetings
  • Take a leadership role to ensure the effective running of computational analyses.
  • Participate in outreach activities, which may involve talks for the general public, attendance at science festivals or and preparation of demonstrators.
  • Participate in advisory meetings with Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), which may involve talks to executive decision makers
  • Responsibilities will also include assistance in the day-to-day running of the simulations and computational analyses using own servers as well as HWUs HPC cluster, liaising with companies and external collaborators.
  • Contribute, under supervision, to the planning of research projects, including the development of new grant/contract proposals.

Please note that this job description is not exhaustive, and the role holder may be required to undertake other relevant duties commensurate with the grading of the post.  Activities may be subject to amendment over time as the role develops and/or priorities and requirements evolve. 

Education, Qualifications and Experience

this will form the basis of your selection criteria and shortlisting. Please use the examples below and delete /add as appropriate.

Essential Criteria

  • Applicants should a PhD in biomedical engineering, physics, material science, or a related subject (Applicants should have submitted their PhD thesis first draft by the start date.) broadly in one of the following areas:
    • Multiscale constitutive modelling (ideally but not necessarily biologic hard or soft tissues)
    • Multiscale mechanics of materials (mathematically, experimentally, or theoretically)
    • Image based multiscale computational modelling
  • Experience of programming and simulation
  • Working with image data (key word: imaged based modelling)
  • Experience working in a multidisciplinary environment/team and openness to dive into a novel research field in biomechanics
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills
  • A record of high quality, peer-reviewed publications and evidence of contribution to the writing of these publications proportionate to opportunity.
  • Willingness and ability to travel for dissemination, outreach, and public engagement activities.

Desirable Criteria

  • Experience in conducting validation and material characterisation experiments (nanoindentation, micropillar testing, macroscopic testing, or similar)
  • Experience in using/developing artificial neural network approaches
  • Experience of research-student supervision.

When applying, please include a cover letter addressing these selection criteria. 

The intention is to hold the interviews towards the end of week commencing 17/8/2020.

Job Share

At Heriot-Watt University we understand that being diverse makes us better which is why we support a culture of respect and equal opportunity, and value diversity at the heart of what we do. We want to increase the diversity of our workplace to underpin a dynamic and creative environment.

While this is a full-time post, flexible percentage working regimes may be possible for the right candidate.

Post-doc in Biomedical Engineering, Biomechanics, partial placement MAX IV

Lund University, Faculty of Engineering, Biomedical engineering

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world’s top 100 universities. The University has 40 000 students and more than 8 000 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition.

LTH forms the Faculty of Engineering at Lund University, with approximately 9 000 students. The research carried out at LTH is of a high international standard and we are continuously developing our teaching methods and adapting our courses to current needs.

MAX IV is a Swedish national large-scale research laboratory hosted by Lund University. It provides scientists from Sweden as well as internationally, with state-of-the-art instrumentation for research in areas such as engineering, physics, structural biology, chemistry and nanotechnology. Fully developed it will receive more than 2 000 scientists annually, conducting ground-breaking experiments in materials and life sciences using the brilliant X-ray light.


Subject description

Background:  The research in the biomechanics group is focused on understanding the link between mechanics and biology in the musculoskeletal system, with emphasis on solving problems in orthopaedics. Tissue characterisation, using synchrotron based techniques has become vital to understand the tissue’s function-, structure-, composition relationships.

NanoMAX and SoftiMAX are both nanoprobe beamlines, designed to take full advantage of MAX IV’s exceptionally low emittance and the resulting coherence properties of the X-ray beam enabling imaging applications at unprecedented resolution. NanoMAX uses hard X-rays, and has been operational since 2017. Available techniques include scanning X-ray diffraction and coherent imaging in the Bragg geometry, forward ptychography and coherent diffraction imaging, as well as X-ray fluorescence (XRF) imaging. SoftiMAX is a soft X-ray beamline, planned to be in user operation in 2021. Available techniques include Scanning Transmission X-ray Microscopy (STXM), ptychography, and XRF imaging.

Goals: The current position is primarily dedicated to XRF, with the main aim to develop a more intuitive data analysis pipeline with emphasis on applications for life science-oriented users. The goals will be accomplished through the framework of the research questions addressed within the biomechanics group with focus on understanding the function-structure-composition relationships in mineralized tissues. Specific emphasis is on elucidating the role of Zinc in mineralization of bone.

This employment is at Biomedical Engineering, but with a major part spent at MAX IV laboratory.

Work duties / Tasks

The main duties involved in the post-doctoral position is to conduct research and beamline development. User support is also included, but up to no more than 20% of working hours. The position shall include the opportunity for three weeks of training in higher education teaching and learning.

Detailed description of the work duties, such as:

  • The post-doc is expected to take responsibility for designing, planning and developing an intuitive and more automated analysis pipeline for XRF data, dedicated to life science users, connected primarily to NanoMAX and secondly to SoftiMAX.
  • The post-doc is expected to drive the research project connected to mineralization in bone using XRF.
  • Depending on interest, the post-doc may also combine XRF imaging techniques with other methods available at the beamlines (e.g. wide angle X-ray scattering, nano-diffraction, ptychography and STXM).
  • The post-doc is expected to assist with user support for relevant experiments, including experiment preparations and guiding in data analysis
  • The post-doc is expected to be active in workshops, lectures and outreach efforts towards the life science community
  • Opportunities to also supervise MSc degree projects and to assist the group when seeking external research funding is available.

Qualification requirements

Appointment to a post-doctoral position requires that the applicant has a PhD, or an international degree deemed equivalent to a PhD, within the subject of the position, completed no more than three years before the last date for applications. Under special circumstances, the doctoral degree can have been completed earlier.

 
Essential requirements:

  • Very good oral and written proficiency in English.
  • A background in physics, applied mathematics, engineering or other relevant fields
  • Demonstrated experience in synchrotron-related techniques, where experience in XRF Imaging holds special merit
  • Demonstrated experience in X-ray data analysis
  • Scientific computer programming skills, preferably in Python (or C++), and experience with large scale data processing.
  • Demonstrated ability to work in teams and interact with a diverse group of scientists and technical staff in a dynamic environment.

Additional requirements are considered assets

  • Experience from the life-science field with biological tissue characterization is meriting.
  • Experience with collaborative software development for scientific applications is meriting.
  • Experience in providing user support is meriting

Assessment criteria and other qualifications

This is a career development position primarily focused on research. The position is intended as an initial step in a career, and the assessment of the applicants will primarily be based on their research qualifications and potential as researchers.

Particular emphasis will be placed on research skills within the subject.

For appointments to a post-doctoral position, the following shall form the assessment criteria:

  • A good ability to develop and conduct high quality research.
  • Scientific communication skills.

 
Additional assessment criteria:

The post-doc should be able to independently drive his/her own project, as well as writing scientific publications. The post-doc should be able to assist users. International networks and experience is considered positive.

 
Consideration will also be given to good collaborative skills, drive and independence, and how the applicant’s experience and skills complement and strengthen ongoing research within the department, and how they stand to contribute to its future development.

Terms of employment This is a full-time, fixed-term employment of a maximum of 2 years. The period of employment is determined in accordance with the agreement “Avtal om tidsbegränsad anställning som postdoktor” (“Agreement on fixed-term employment as a post-doctoral fellow”) between Lund University, SACO-S, OFR/S and SEKO, dated 4 September 2008.

Instructions on how to apply

Applications shall be written in English. LTH uses a special qualifications portfolio to report and document qualifications. Draw up the application in accordance with the following outline and attach it as three PDF files (in the recruitment system). Read more here:

http://www.lth.se/english/working-at-lth/to-apply-for-academic-positions-at-lth/

Lund University welcomes applicants with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We regard gender equality and diversity as a strength and an asset. We kindly decline all sales and marketing contacts.

To apply, please click the button “Login and apply”

Type of employmentTemporary position longer than 6 months
Contract typeFull time
First day of employmentBy agreement
SalaryMonthly salary
Number of positions1
Working hours100
CityLund
CountySkåne län
CountrySweden
Reference numberPA2020/2399
ContactHanna Isaksson, +46462221749, hanna.isaksson@bme.lth.se
Union representativeOFR/ST:Fackförbundet ST:s kansli, 046-222 93 62SACO:Saco-s-rådet vid Lunds universitet, 046-222 93 64SEKO: Seko Civil, 046-222 93 66
Published30.Jun.2020
Last application date16.Aug.2020 11:59 PM CET

Postdoc Computational modeling of kidney toxin transport

PublishedDeadlineLocation
25 Jun12 JulMaastricht

The department of Cell Biology-Inspired Tissue Engineering (cBITE) at the MERLN Institute for Technology-inspired Regenerative Medicine at Maastricht University in the Netherlands invites applications for a post-doctoral position. The post-doctoral researcher will perform cutting-edge research in computational modeling methods applied to regenerative medicine and more specifically, to kidney toxin transport in microfluidic set-ups, organoid culture systems and/or bioartificial kidney devices.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Regenerative medicine holds the promise to cure many of what are now chronic patients, restoring health rather than protracting decline, bettering the lives of millions and at the same time preventing lifelong, expensive care processes: cure instead of care. More specifically, at present, dialysis and transplantation are the only treatment options for end-stage kidney disease. In the Netherlands alone, 6,500 people currently depend on dialysis, approximately 1,300 of which will die this year. Regenerative medicine offers an alternative treatment in the form of a bioengineered kidney. As a first step, the partners of RegMed XB will work towards creating a functional subunit of a bioengineered kidney. This functional subunit is the nephron, of which there are approximately one million in the adult kidney. In order to inform the in vitro experiments as well as design a bioartificial kidney as an intermediate step towards a fully bioengineered kidney, this project will use computational models to simulate toxin transport and calculate the flow and geometry requirements for adequate toxin removal in various set-ups: microfluidic, organoid culture systems and bioartificial devices.

Project description:

  • Computational modeling of toxin transport, computational fluid dynamics, to inform the design of in vitro kidney organoid experiments and/or bioartificial kidney devices
  • Parameter optimization and sensitivity analysis
  • Analysis and integration of various in vitro/in vivo data for model calibration

What we offer:

  • Computational ecosystem at Maastricht University: Institute for Data Science (IDS), Department of Knowledge Engineering (DKE) and Maastricht Centre for Systems Biology (MacsBio)
  • Excellent computational and experimental facilities to validate the in silico analyses and predictions in vitro/in vivo
  • Interdisciplinary environment within MERLN and the RegMed XB consortium

Project embedding:

The project will be coordinated by the MERLN Institute for Technology-Inspired Regenerative Medicine (http://merlninstitute.com/) at Maastricht University (UM), while closely collaborating with TU Eindhoven, Utrecht University and Leiden University as part of RegMed XB, which stands for “Regenerative Medicine Crossing Borders”. RegMed XB is a virtual institute composed of universities, health foundations, governments and private companies in the Netherlands and Belgium. The partners work together to tackle some of the greatest challenges in regenerative medicine, while building a community of researchers and companies to realize health and economic benefits. RegMed XB is best-suited for those scientists who are driven to make a difference in the lives of patients and who wish to join a growing initiative that promises to integrate entrepreneurial activities with the excellent scientific research performed within the universities. Joining RegMed XB means being part of a community working on research programs aimed to cure a chronic disease (for more information, please visit www.regmedxb.com).

REQUIREMENTS

Requirements and key expertise

  • PhD in data science, computer science, statistics, mathematics, bioinformatics, biomedical informatics, artificial intelligence, or equivalent
  • Demonstrated ability to work independently as well as in a team
  • Strong scientific background and publication record
  • Expertise in computational modeling, computational fluid dynamics
  • Good programming skills (for example Comsol, Matlab, Python, R, VCell)\
  • Basic knowledge of image processing and analysis
  • Affinity with regenerative medicine
  • Good oral and written English communication

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

Fixed-term contract: 1 year.

The position is temporary for the duration of the project (12 months). Depending on experience and qualification, the gross monthly salary is scale 10 (max. € 4.402,-), based on a full-time appointment.

The terms of employment of Maastricht University are set out in the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities (CAO). Furthermore, local UM provisions also apply. For more information look at the website www.maastrichtuniversity.nl > Support > UM employees.

EMPLOYER

Maastricht University

Maastricht University (UM) is the most international university in the Netherlands and, with more than 18,000 students and 4,400 employees, is still growing. The university stands out for its innovative education model, international character and multidisciplinary approach to research and education. Thanks to its high-quality research and study programs as well as a strong focus on social engagement, UM has quickly built up a solid reputation. Today it is considered one of the best young universities in the world

DEPARTMENT

MERLN Institute

The MERLN Institute for Technology-inspired Regenerative Medicine focuses on developing novel and challenging technologies to advance the field of tissue and organ repair and regeneration through, amongst others, the development of high-throughput material platforms to screen cell-biomaterial interactions. MERLN consists of an interdisciplinary team of researchers including fields as (stem cell) biology, materials engineering, chemistry, micro/nanofabrication, additive manufacturing, etc. The scientists at MERLN have an extensive network of collaborators within research institutions in and outside the Netherlands as well as with a number of biomedical companies, including their own spin-off companies, as entrepreneurship is highly fostered.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The application should contain:

  • Cover letter with motivation, fit and preferred starting date
  • Statement of research interests and accomplishments, max 2 pages
  • CV including a list of publications
  • Contact information of two references

For more detailed information you can contact dr. A. Carlier: a.carlier@maastrichtuniversity.nl.

More details:

https://www.academictransfer.com/en/292752/postdoc-computational-modeling-of-kidney-toxin-transport/

RA in Computational Modelling of the Human Knee @University of Leeds

We are looking for a Research Assistant in Computational Modelling of the Human Knee (institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, University of Leeds)

Do you have a strong technical background in computational mechanics with an interest in biomedical engineering? Would you like to work as part of a multidisciplinary team to address a clinically-driven challenge? We are recruiting a Research Assistant in Computational Modelling of the Human Knee (fixed-term position until Sept 2021), part of a major £4M EPSRC Programme Grant on Optimising Knee Therapies. The aim of the programme is to develop preclinical testing methods for early-stage treatments for knee osteoarthritis so their performance can be optimised.

With a degree in medical or mechanical engineering (or a related discipline), you will have a strong background in finite element analysis related to tribology or material interfaces and contact mechanics, and have a proactive approach to working in a multidisciplinary team with engineers, biologists and clinicians.

The role will include (see job advert for full list and details of the post):

  • Working independently to generate finite element models of the knee from existing image data. You will use methods that have been developed and previously documented in-house and proprietary software;
  • Undertaking initial testing of the finite element models using Abaqus software, and trouble-shooting/iteratively changing the models to obtain satisfactory outcomes;
  • Working collaboratively with researchers in the team to curate the models in such a way that they can be readily used by future researchers;
  • Independently writing reports and helping with the preparation of papers for publication;
  • Potentially contributing to the training of undergraduate or postgraduate students, including assisting with the supervision of projects in areas relevant to the project

How to apply

Applications will only be considered through https://jobs.leeds.ac.uk/ — applications open until 17/07/2020
For any queries you may have, please contact: Marlène Mengoni and visit the institute website
The post can be started remotely.


Corporate members of the ESB:

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