Worldwide the increase in the geriatric population with musculoskeletal problems and the increase in the incidence of sports injuries and traffic accidents are contributing to the growth of knee, hip, or spine surgeries. Current surgical treatments, generally placing implants, significantly improve the quality of life of patients. However, patients who have had surgery at a young age are very likely to need revision surgery due to implant failure, with the complications that this entails due to the poor condition of the tissue around the implant. To meet the challenging demands of orthopedic implants, complex porous structures that improve the biomimicry between the implant and the surrounding bone tissue are gaining special interest thanks to the development of Additive Manufacturing (AM).

Within this context, the Mechanics of Materials and Advanced Manufacturing research group in TECNUN- Engineering Faculty of University of Navarra (San Sebastian, Spain) has recently been awarded a research project to optimize the design of hip implants through additively manufactured porous structures. The successful PhD candidate’s activities include the design, manufacturing and in-vitro validation of such structures, with special focus on exploring the possibilities of metal additive manufacturing for biomedical applications.

We are currently accepting applications from enthusiastic and highly talented candidates who meet the following requirements:

–             A MSc degree in Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering or similar.

–             Experience in additive manufacturing and/or computational biomechanics is appreciated.

–             A research-oriented attitude.

–             Fluent in spoken and written English. Knowledge of Spanish will be appreciated.

Outstanding candidates are invited to submit a CV and a Motivation Letter to Dr Naiara Rodriguez-Florez (nrodriguezf@tecnun.es).

Pseudoarthrosis is a common complication of spondylodesis and occurs in 5-35% of all cases. Besides biological factors, mechanics play a key role in the success of treatment and must be ensured by appropriate fixations. Validated patient-specific computer simulations could help avoiding mechanics-related issues in spondylodesis and thus reducing pseudarthrosis rates.

Within this context, the Spine Biomechanics group of the Balgrist University Hospital (Zurich, Switzerland) and the Biomedical Development Program of the AO Research Institute Davos (Davos, Switzerland) are looking for a highly motivated individual holding a master’s degree in engineering to work as a PhD student at the two hosts in a shared setting and to be enrolled in the PhD program of ETH Zurich. The successful candidate’s activities will be focused on the development and validation of an analysis framework combining biomechanical testing, medical image processing and computer simulations.

The position is available for a duration of 4 years. For further details and application please visit:

https://careers.aofoundation.org/job/Davos-Platz/860647301/

For more information, please contact Dr. Peter Varga (peter.varga@aofoundation.org). Note that no applications will be accepted via email.

Healthy cartilage functions in an environment with low oxygen levels (normoxia) and changes in oxygen sensing have been associated with osteoarthritis. This project aims to clarify hypoxia signaling in cartilage with varying mechanical loading and oxygen pressures. Ultimately our research aims to identify potential therapeutic molecules that can prevent cartilage degeneration and osteoarthritis.

The position is supervised by Dr. Mikko Finnilä, who has recently formed his own research group that studies musculoskeletal biomaterials. His group is focused on imaging and biomechanics of tissues and biomaterials to identify more effective materials for musculoskeletal repair. Group has active collaboration internationally as well as with local industry. The most important collaborators for this project are Prof. Marcy Zenobi-Wong (ETH Zurich) and Prof. Peppi Karppinen (Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine).

More information:

https://rekry.saima.fi/certiahome/open_job_view.html?did=5600&lang=en&id=000014020&jc=1

Institutes: Queensland University of Technology (QUT, Australia), University of Paris Est (UPEC, France), and University of Saskatchewan (USASK, Canada).

Supervisors: Prof. Peter Pivonka (QUT, peter.pivonka@qut.edu.au) and Prof. Vittorio Sansalone (MSME UPEC, vittorio.sansalone@u-pec.fr)

Résumé: We seek to better understand how cortical bone is affected by osteoporosis and drug treatments. Longitudinal experimental data in a rabbit model of osteoporosis will be collected by Prof David Cooper (USASK) at the Canadian Synchrotron. The successful PhD candidate will use machine learning algorithms to assess morphological changes in cortical bone and to track bone remodeling units over time using co-registration techniques based on provided synchrotron imaging data. Additionally, the candidate will develop a computational model to predict changes in cortical porosity and effects on bone matrix properties due to osteoporosis and other treatment regimens developing state-of-the-art bone adaptation algorithms.

Closing date: Applications will be accepted until the scholarship is awarded, but applications will be assessed early October, 2022.

More information (salary, essential and desirable criteria, etc.) here:

Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) is a 3D deformity of the spine affecting previously healthy
children, substantially reducing their quality of life and creating a life-long burden of disease.
Till now, no curative treatment exists partly because its cause and disease mechanism are still
unknown. In this ERC funded project, we will uncover whether a complex perfect storm of
anatomical, biomechanical and mechanobiological causes in the intervertebral disc are
responsible AIS.

During the adolescent growth spurt, many changes are occurring in our spines. If tissue
maturation is not matched by increasing loads and changes in shape, this could lead to spinal
instability and excessive tissue strains. Until now this was not possible to study because AIS
only occurs in human children and there were no safe methods to image their spines
repeatedly during growth. In the ERC project, we are running a clinical study using newly
developed MRI-based synthetic CT imaging to collect such information in normal and AIS
children.

In this PhD research, we will first develop methods to generate subject-specific FE spine
models. These will be based on a combination of landmark recognition, statistical
shape/appearance modeling and machine learning methods. Once validated against imaging
and biomechanical data from cadaveric spines, subject-specific multi-scale motion segment
and spine models will be generated from the imaging data to explore spinal instability and
intervertebral disc deformations during growth in the children of the clinical study.

The PhD candidate will contribute to a multi-disciplinary team of biomedical engineers, imaging
scientists and spine surgeons, from the student to senior level, working on engineering,
biological, imaging and clinical studies. An educational and professional development program
is offered to all PhD candidates. You will also be involved in teaching courses, as well as
contribute to the supervision of bachelor and master students. Based on your research, you
will be expected to present at conferences, publish in scientific journals and write a doctoral
dissertation.

More information: