ESBiomech – Newsletter October 2024

Posted on October 19, 2024 by Michele Conti

Dear ESB member,

As summer comes to an end, we still warmly remember the ESB 2024 meeting in Edinburgh.

Don’t forget to visit our website and stay updated with the latest news!

In the October 2024 newsletter from the European Society of Biomechanics (ESB), you will find:

Presidential Message;
John O’Connor Obituary;
General Assembly and Survey;
ESB Meetings;
News from our Members;
News from the ESB National Chapters;
Updates from our Affiliated Societies;

Bernardo Innocenti, Chair of the Publication Committee

From the President!

Dear ESB members,

I hope you had a great summer break and could recharge the batteries!

I am afraid I will have to start with some sad news… unfortunately a few weeks ago Prof John J. O’Connor has passed away. John has been a long-term member of the ESB and has contributed to our society, pioneering and leading on a number of transformative research in the field of orthopaedic biomechanics, that led to the design of new implants and improving the health of several patients. Our thanks to Richie, Tung-Wu and Alberto who have prepared the Obituary and the deepest condolences to John’s family, his former students and colleagues and all collaborators who knew him well across the globe and within our society. This is once more a reminder for us all that we stand on the shoulders of the giants who allowed this field to develop and brought us where we are! Now it is our chance to make the difference!

On a more positive note, the ESB congress 2024 in Edinburgh was a great success! It has been an opportunity to showcase what we do in the field and I was impressed about the quality of the science and the breadth of research areas our society is quickly expanding to. We would like to thank the local chairs Pankaj and Chloe Scott, Codan Consulting, the local organising committee and the scientific committee, the sponsors, the exhibitors, the track chairs, for giving us a fantastic scientific and social time… on top of the great presentations from the plenary speakers, awardees, perspective talks and standard abstracts presenters, I will also remember the Ceilidh dances at the congress dinner for a long time! We have also reached for the first time more than 1000 participants, making this congress the largest we have had so far! Well done to all! No pressure for the next organisers!!! 😉

The next ESB congress 2025 will be in Zurich, the local organisers are already working hard to make it a great 30th congress of our society. Don’t forget to prepare your abstract for Perspective Talks (deadline 30th November 2024) and standard Abstracts (deadline 31st January 2025). More information can be found below.

In Edinburgh we also had the elections of the new ESB Council that will serve for the next 2 years. I would like to thank the Council members who left the Council after two (past President David Mitton and past Vice President Jérôme Noailly) or one (Ilse Jonkers) mandates. Their efforts to manage the society have been instrumental in pushing the society out of the Covid/Lockdown period with a positive note and a lot of stored energy! I would also like to welcome the new members of the team to the Council: Philipp Thurner, Sandra Loerakker and Esther Reina Romo, who have already been actively engaging in leading the different ESB committees. You can see the details of the Council’s roles here. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us for any questions you may have!

Finally, during the last GA we have started a real time survey to get some feedback on a number of questions that will help us plan the next activities of the society. See below a brief overview of the results and a link to a slightly longer and better formalised Survey. This approach will be a way of improving our two ways communication between the ESB Council and the Members. However, it will work only if you (both junior and senior members) complete the Survey! Please do it by following the link in the dedicated section below… Thank you for your contributions!

I wish you all a great and successful start of the new academic year!

Enrico Dall’Ara, ESB President

Obituary: John J. O’Connor – Biomechanics Pioneer

John J O’Connor (1934-2024)

John Joseph O’Connor was born in Dublin in 1934. He was educated by the Augustinian Friars at New Ross, County Wexford, where the teaching was conducted in Gaeilge. He went onto to read Mechanical and Electrical Engineering at University College, Dublin, graduating with a First Class Honours degree in 1956. After graduating he worked for British Nylon Spinners, who sponsored him to undertake a PhD on the mechanics of fretting at the University of Cambridge. His first academic post was at the University of Minnesota in 1962. In 1964 he became a University Lecturer in Engineering Science at the University of Oxford. In 1991, he was appointed as the Research Director of the Oxford Orthopaedic Engineering Centre. John became Professor of Engineering Science in 1996 and was awarded with an honorary Doctor of Science degree by University College Dublin in 2018.

John’s interest in Biomechanics began when approached by an orthopaedic surgeon, John Goodfellow, who wanted to study the mechanics of the hip and knee joints. Together they developed an understanding of the natural joints and went on to design the Oxford Meniscal Knee, which was first implanted in 1976. The two Johns, as they became known, evolved the design and the instrumentation, and realized that it worked particularly well when implanted as a unicompartmental or partial knee replacement. It is now the most widely implanted partial knee replacement in the world, with over 50,000 implanted every year providing patients with relief from pain and a return to function. The Oxford knee celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2016, and will have its 50th anniversary in 2026, a remarkable feat for an orthopaedic implant.

John O’Connor’s Biomechanics legacy is vast and transformative. His interests included the mechanics of the knee and ankle joints, the pathomechanics of osteoarthritis, prosthesis design, gait analysis, mechanics of wear, and the application of finite element analysis in orthopaedic engineering. John intuitively understood the importance of collaboration and interdisciplinary working, showing that novel solutions that truly benefit patients require the combined insight of an engineer and a clinician. His innovative collaboration with John Goodfellow is an exemplar of this relationship. His collaboration with colleagues in Bologna (Leardini – Catani – Giannini) led to the development of the mobile-bearing BOX total ankle replacement, first implanted in 2003, further cementing his legacy in joint mechanics and replacement innovation.

As well as being a pioneer in Biomechanics, John O’Connor was a remarkable and generous teacher and mentor. John was a brilliant man who had tremendous humility and truly gentle manner. He always made time for his students and treated them with great respect, patience and kindness. Together with his beloved wife, Gemma, he built a large tightly knit community of students and scholars. He invited his students to effectively be part of his family, dinner at John and Gemma’s home was a regular feature for his students and collaborators. Those of us who were fortunate to be his graduate students all strive to emulate John’s style of mentorship and gentle guidance and provide the same opportunities for others that John provided for us.

In addition to the contribution to the fields of Biomechanics and Orthopaedic Surgery, John O’Connor was a devoted and loving husband and father. He was a beloved grandfather, who generously supported all of his grandchildren without any form of judgement. John had more than his share of ill health, suffering from heart disease and cancer. However, he never let that get in the way of the joy he took in life and his research work. John’s passing marks the loss of an extraordinary figure in biomechanics and a beloved mentor to many. His legacy lives on through the enduring impact of his research, the relief from suffering brought to thousands of patients, the scholars he mentored, and the transformative ideas he brought to the fields of orthopaedics and biomechanics. John, we miss you and continue to hold you dear in our hearts while we strive to walk in your footsteps.

Alberto Leardini, Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli – Bologna

Tung-Wu Lu, National Taiwan University – Taipei

Richie Gill, University of Bath – Bath

General Assembly and Survey

During the last GA we have asked you a few questions and you can find here the most common answers. As with every survey from a diverse society, you will find something you agree with and something that is not what you expected. As in most surveys, you will also find completely opposite answers for some of the topics. This is fine and expected. Every one of us has different ideas on how events should be organised and managed. However, there are also some common themes and ideas, which we will take on board in the future activities of the society.

Question 1. New Newsletters: is there anything you would like to hear from us?

118 answers

Question 2. ESB congress: increase of number of participants, share your thoughts about what change you would like to see to improve it!

152 answers

Question 3. ESB 50th celebrations: tell us your ideas for events/activities you would like to see at WCB26!

112 answers

Of course, we are well aware that this is only a small sample of our society. So, in order to hear your voice please complete the Survey following the link below. The survey has been based on the most common answers received during the GA and we would like to know more about your thoughts about these questions. Our committees will analyse the answers and feedback in due course.

However, it will work only if you (both junior and senior members) complete the Survey following this link!

Thank you for your help!

Enrico Dall’Ara, ESB President

Meeting News

Past congresses

29th Congress of the ESB (ESBiomech2024) in Edinburgh

The 29th Congress of ESB (ESBiomech2024) in Edinburgh has been a great success, attracting a record number of 1108 delegates from 50 countries. The Council would like to thank the Congress Chairs Prof. Pankaj Pankaj and Dr. Chloe E. H. Scott, and the entire Local Organising Committee for the great work. The archive of abstract can be found here.

Next ESB congress

30th Congress of the ESB (ESBiomech2025) in Zürich

We are looking very much forward to the next ESB congress in Zürich. Before sharing the message of the Local Organizing Committee, we’d like to highlight that the deadline for Perspective Talk submission is already coming up soon (November 30, 2024) and remind you about the related rules. Abstracts for Perspective Talks should be different from regular abstract submissions in the sense that they provide a broader overview of a certain research topic, and provide an overview of future directions and/or challenges. Specifically, we use the following definition for Perspective Talks:

“A Perspective Talk (PT) is a ‘mini-keynote’, i.e., an extended presentation that introduces a session. A PT is given by an established researcher or tandem of experts from different fields/backgrounds with focus on a cutting edge, coherent body of research. It should give a brief overview of results and unanswered questions, which may be based mainly, but not exclusively on their own and their group’s contribution to this field, and must include future vision and challenges to be targeted. PTs are intended to encourage intergenerational and multidisciplinary networking and to give scientists the opportunity to learn from those with more experience.”

More information, including the abstract template, can be found here .

A message of the Local Organizing Committee of Zürich 2025:

The 30th ESB Congress will take place between 6 – 9 July in Zürich, Switzerland!

We are delighted to invite you for the 30th Congress of the European Society of Biomechanics taking place at ETH Zürich, Switzerland. This year’s theme, AI in Biomechanics: Opportunities and Challenges, reflects the growing importance of artificial intelligence in advancing the field.

Key dates:

Submission for perspective talks opens at the end of October, with a deadline of November 30, 2024.
The call for podium talks will open in December 2024.

Stay up-to-date with the latest congress tracks, topics, and announcements by visiting the official congress website: www.esbiomech2025.org.

The following keynote speakers have been confirmed:

Mackenzie Mathis (EPFL Lausanne): Towards the Neural Basis of Adaptive Motor Control
Scott Delp (Stanford University): Frontiers in Human Performance Research: Insights from Biomechanical Simulation and Machine Learning
Molly Stevens (University of Oxford): Designing Biomaterials for Regenerative Medicine and Soft Robotics

We look forward to seeing you in Zürich next year!

The ESBiomech2025 Organizers

Future Congresses – Save the dates!

The 10th World Congress of Biomechanics (WCB 2026) will be hosted by the Canadian Society of Biomechanics and take place in the Vancouver Convention Centre West, Vancouver, Canada, on July 11-15, 2026.
In 2027, the 31th Congress of the ESB will be held in Berlin, Germany. More details will follow in future communications.

Other meetings

You are cordially invited to the AO Orthopaedic Research Summit that will take place between 16-19 June 2025 in Davos, Switzerland. With the theme “Three Societies Combining Minds to Advance Science and Clinical Impact”, the Summit provides access to three conferences with a single registration:

33rd Annual Meeting of the European Orthopaedic Research Society (EORS 2025)
25th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Computer Assisted Orthopaedic Surgery (CAOS 2025)
ARI Orthopaedics 2025 Biofabrication

Please consider submitting a Symposium for EORS 2025, the Call is open until November 15th.

Peter Varga, Chair of the Meetings and External Affairs Committee

Call of bids for hosting ESB 2028

The ESB invites proposals for the organization of its annual congress in 2028. If you would like to host and organize the 2028 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 Peter Varga, Chair of the Meetings and External Affairs Committee (meeting.chair@esbiomech.org).

The deadline for bid submission (first step) to organize the ESB 2028 is 15 December 2024.

Peter Varga, Chair of the Meetings and External Affairs Committee

Sandra Loerakker, Chair of the WebPortal and Working Groups Committee

News from our Members

Inclusion in biomechanics-enabled technologies – research survey (led by Michael Crichton, Heriot Watt; Ankush Agrawal, Glasgow and Marlène Mengoni, Leeds – UK).

The progression of personal and remote medical technologies that are based upon biomechanics knowledge and research hold the potential to understand what is happening in our bodies in ways that previously required attendance in clinics. However, devices like continuous glucose monitors, health apps and smart watches have been limited since our population is not “one-size-fits-all” (for example, smart watches failing to measure heartrate on pigmented skin (Shcherbina et al., 2017)). To address this issue, we have conducted two workshops to start a conversation between those working in biomechanics in order to develop best practice for inclusive technology development. These workshops brought together clinicians, engineers, scientists, and social scientists to identify areas where biomechanics and related engineering approaches can be employed to make future technologies more inclusive.

We are seeking to build a conversation on this topic and look to the ESB community to engage on this topic. The recent presentation we gave at BioMedEng24 on this is accessible via the following link (https://tissuedevices.hw.ac.uk/inclusion-in-biomechanics/) and we invite you to contribute your thoughts and perspectives on this topic here: https://forms.office.com/e/XBuC7dD6ip. We will then look to build this conversation with your input.

Marlène Mengoni, Sponsorship Committee and Deputy Treasurer

Esther Reina Romo: Chair of the Diversity-inclusion and Membership Committee

News from ESB National Chapters

Updates from the Italian National Chapter – ESB-ITA

The Italian Chapter participated in large numbers at the ESB 2024 congress in Edinburgh, with approximately 90 attendees and several affiliates awarded.

The XIII Annual Meeting of the ESB-ITA was held in Pescara (Italy) on October 3-4, 2024. The Meeting comprised both a thematic symposium focused on dental biomechanics (“Challenges in dental biomechanics: innovative and advanced approaches”) and the general meeting. Keynote speakers: Prof. Anna Pandolfi (Politecnico di Milano, Italy), Prof. Christian Gasser (KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden), and Prof. Benedikt Helgason (ETH Zurich, Switzerland).

The ESB-ITA Networking Working Group is working to create an active network with national and international universities and companies. Additionally, it is promoting dialogue with other organizations (including the other national chapters of the ESB).

The ESB-ITA Communication Working Group is revising the society’s overall communications plan, changing the website layout, and adding a page with updated news while strengthening and standardizing social media activities via LinkedIn and X.

Marlène Mengoni, Sponsorship Committee and Deputy Treasurer

Updates from our Affiliated Societies

Virtual Physiological Human institute (VPHi)

The biannual VPH2024 conference has just taken place in Stuttgart from 3 to 6 September 2024. With over 400 participants gathered to share cutting-edge research, foster new collaborations, and push the frontiers of in silico medicine, the event has truly confirmed its status as the premier conference in this field. Save the date for VPH2026 in Milan on 1-4 September 2026.

The Virtual Physiological Human Institutes is producing a series of divulgation videos to spread the knowledge of in silico medicine towards a larger public. The series, called Code & Cure Understanding In Silico Medicine, will include a total of 10 videos, 5 of which have already been released. The Institute has also started to release a podcast dedicated to in silico medicine called The Digital Twin Theory that aims to inform and involve a lay audience of science enthusiasts and patients interested on the topic.

Société de Biomécanique

The next annual conference of the Société de Biomécanique will be held in Compiègne (France). Focused on “well ageing”, from October 29 to 31, the enticing conference program is available on the conference website. The annual PhD award, the young researcher award, the sports biomechanics award (Jean Vives) and the senior researcher award (C. Oddou) will present their extensive work during the conference. The organizers are also pleased to announce the three plenary speakers: Danièle Noël from the Institut de Médecine Régénératrice et Biothérapies (IRMB – Montpellier – France), John McPhee from the University of Waterloo (Canada) and Julien Husson from the Ecole Polytechnique (Palaiseau, France). Join us in Compiègne !

Portuguese Society of Biomechanics

The next Portuguese Congress of Biomechanics will take place in Sesimbra, on 21-22 February 2025. The details can be found here.

During this congress, the Portuguese Society of Biomechanics awards three persons with: Best Phd on Biomechanics, Best Master on Biomechanics, and Prof. João Martins award for young researchers (less than 35 years) with significant work on Biomechanics.

Australian and New Zealand Society of Biomechanics (ANZORS)

Save the date: The International Society of Biomechanics Conference (ISB 2027) will be hosted in Sydney on 18-22 July 2027, co-organized by The University of Newcastle, The University of Sydney, and the Macquarie University.

Peter Varga, Chair of the Meetings and External Affairs Committee

DC8– Mechano-chemo models of the knee and intervertebral disc joints, to explore the emergence of age-related risk factors of degeneration

Posted on October 18, 2024 by Philipp Thurner@tuwien.ac.at

October, 2024
Apply here

1. Overview of the research programme:

InSilicoHealth is an innovative Doctoral Network (DN) with the ambition to train a new generation of outstanding Doctoral Candidates (DC) that will become effective translators of the rapidly evolving digital technology to tackle existing and future challenges related with healthy ageing in Europe. The research focus of this DN lies in three key domains: the brain, heart, and musculoskeletal (MSK) systems. In the realm of digital technology, InSilicoHealth specifically focuses on virtual human twin (VHT) technology to enhance our understanding of the age-related adaptive changes of the complex human body through predictive multi-scale simulations. The research methodology employs knowledge-driven models enhanced by advanced data-driven inference techniques to optimize the health potential of older individuals.

2. Individual PhD Project Information:

Host institution: Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), Spain

Supervisory team: Prof. Jerome Noailly (PhD supervisor, UPF), Prof. Ilse Jonkers (PhD co-supervisor, KU Leuven), Prof. Miguel Ángel González Ballester (PhD co-supervisor, UPF), Dr Ludovic Humbert (secondment host, 3D-Shaper).

Enrolment in Doctoral School: Enrolled in the Information and Communication Technologies (UPF) and at the Doctoral School of Biomedical Sciences (KU Leuven).

3. PhD project description:

This PhD project will focus on coupling biological regulatory network and organ finite element models to define risk factors of different rates or organ ageing in personalised models related with patient (osteoarthritis, low back pain) and population cohorts, with which UPF works. The objectives are: 1) Couple pre-existing models at UPF: chondrocyte and intervertebral disc mechano-sensitive cell regulatory networks models with finite element models of the knee joint and the intervertebral disc; 2) Personalise the shapes of the organ models by combining magnetic resonance image segmentation and mesh morphing; 3) Personalise the regulatory network initial states, based on patient BMI, age and other factors known to control low grade inflammation mediators mapped in the networks; 4) Run simulations and mine together input data for model personalization and simulated data related with network node activations that reflect nociceptive pain, pro-inflammatory cytokine activity, balance between matrix proteases and inhibitors thereof, structural proteins; 5) Define a pipeline for model assessment, based on uncertainty and consistency analyses, falsification tests against clinical cases, capacity for discrimination in clinical case-control: 6) Assess risk factors and build corresponding surrogate models.

A successful project will result in a robust pipeline for multiscale modelling that allows mechanistic explorations of pathophysiological mechanisms and risk factor predictions for age-related joint degeneration, based on interpretable biological mechanisms.

4. Planned secondments:

KU Leuven (December year 2, 6 months): Aims to personalise the mechanical boundary conditions to be imposed on the knee joint and intervertebral disc models, based on the movement signatures investigated by DC7, and on the translation thereof into mechanical loads to be applied on the joints, through existing collections of motion capture and MSK analyses at KU Leuven (knee joint), and through existing measurements of in vivo intervertebral disc pressure under daily activities (intervertebral disc).
3D-Shaper Medical (May year 1, 4 months): Early secondment at 3D-Shaper Medical aims to explore robust pipelines for personalised modelling of knee joints, through machine-learning based image processing allowing advanced annotations and fast 3D modelling, out of X-rays and MRI.

5. Essential requirements:

You hold both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering, Biomedicine, Computer Science, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering.
Specialization in computational methods in biomedical engineering or biomedicine will be highly beneficial.
You have a keen interest in the fields of in silico medicine, digital health, and rheumatology.
You have proven your proficiency in English language equivalent to B2 level (Sufficient English level will be verified during the interview, if any).
You did not reside or carry out your main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the host institution’s country for more than 12 months in the three years before 1st of January 2025.
You are ambitious, well organized, a team player, and have excellent communication skills.
You can work independently and have a critical and analytical mindset.
You are a pro-active and motivated person, eager to participate in network-wide training events, international mobility, and public dissemination activities.
Previous experience in finite element modelling, and/or medical image processing, and/or data science, and/or motion capture and analyses, are not required but considered a plus.

6. Application requirements:

Curriculum vitae.
Motivation Letter, including a clear indication of the preferred DC position(s) within InSilicoHealth Doctoral Network if the applicant postulates for multiple positions.
Academic records (grades) of both the Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.
Two recommendation letters by two previous scientific supervisors (these people might be contacted by the Evaluation Committee of the position, if needed).

PhD Position University of Glasgow – Computational Biomechanics Research Group

Posted on October 14, 2024 by Philipp Thurner@tuwien.ac.at

Are you interested in undertaking a PhD in the interdisciplinary field of computational cardiovascular biomechanics? If so, there are positions available in my research group and details are provided below.

Further information: If you are interested or want more information, please contact me at my email (ankush.aggarwal@glasgow.ac.uk) before starting the formal application. Please visit Computational Biomechanics Research Group page or my staff page for more information on our research.

Project Summary: Almost 30% of all deaths globally are related to cardiovascular diseases. The overall aim of computational cardiovascular biomechanics is to help improve the diagnosis of these diseases (faster, earlier, more precise), provide better surgical outcomes, and design devices that last longer. To achieve that aim, we study the biomechanical properties of tissues and cells comprising the cardiovascular system using a combination of in-vivo imaging, ex-vivo and in-vitro testing, and in-silico modeling. Several project topics are available, including, but not limited to:

1) Predicting aneurysm development from ultrasound images using growth and remodeling simulations
2) Drug-based treatment of aneurysms: a computational study
3) Uncertainty quantification in image-based cardiovascular biomechanics
4) Image-based cardiovascular diagnosis using machine-learning
5) Development of a digital twin of the thoracic aorta

During this project, the student will have opportunities to:

Develop skills necessary to work at the interface of engineering and biomedical science
Publish papers in high-quality journals
Present research results at international conferences
Learn about nonlinear finite element analysis, nonlinear mechanics, multiscale modeling, image-based analysis, data science, and other numerical techniques
Learn about experimental and clinical validation
Collaborate with our international academic and industrial partners
Interact within the Glasgow Centre for Computational Engineering with other researchers (GCEC) and across departments with biomedical scientists and clinicians

Eligibility: Candidates must have an undergraduate degree in a relevant field, such as Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mathematics and Computing Science, with excellent grades. A background in mechanics and knowledge of numerical methods (such as finite element analysis) would be necessary. Programming skills will be required for computational modeling.

Application: The deadline for applications is 31 January 2025, and the application process consists of two parts:
1) On-line academic application: Go to https://www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/infrastructureenvironment/ and click on the ‘Apply now’ tab. Applicants should attach relevant documents such as CV, transcripts, references and a research proposal.
2) Scholarship: Depending on the eligibility, you can apply for competitive scholarships, such as UofG School of Engineering Scholarship, CSC Scholarship, Commonwealth Scholarship, etc. These are listed on https://www.gla.ac.uk/colleges/scienceengineering/graduateschool/scholarships/#pgrscholarships Please feel free to get in touch to discuss further.

Call of bids for hosting ESBiomech2028

Posted on October 7, 2024 by Peter Varga

Interested members can contact or send a proposal/bid to Dr Peter Varga, Chair of the Meetings and External Affairs Committee (meeting.chair@esbiomech.org).

The deadline for bid submission (first step) to organize the ESB 2028 is 15 December 2024.

PhD Position in Computational and Experimental Mechanobiology (Cancer) @University of Galway, Ireland

Posted on August 27, 2024 by Aurélie Carlier

Applications are invited from suitably qualified candidates for a full-time, fully-funded position that will investigate the mechanobiology of tumour growth and therapy resistance. This position is funded by a European Research Council Starting Grant and will be under the supervision of Dr Eoin McEvoy, Associate Professor in Biomedical Engineering. The researcher will join Dr McEvoy’s group, which brings together expertise in biophysical modelling, active cell biomechanics, and in-vitro tumour models. The group’s overall focus is to develop advanced computational and experimental models that provide a mechanistic understanding of cell and tissue remodelling in cancer and disease, motivating novel mechano-therapeutics and treatment strategies. For further information, see www.mechanomodel.ie.

University of Galway: The University of Galway has world-recognized expertise in biomedical science and engineering, with a particularly strong track-record of developing innovative diagnostic and therapeutic solutions to healthcare challenges. Located in the vibrant cultural city of Galway in the west of Ireland, with over 18,000 students and more than 2,400 staff, the university has a distinguished reputation for teaching and research excellence (https://www.universityofgalway.ie/our-research/). Dr McEvoy is also an investigator at CÚRAM, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Medical Devices, which is embedded in Galway’s vibrant Med-Tech ecosystem.

Project Description: Personalised medicine presents an exciting frontier in healthcare that tailors disease mitigation and intervention to an individual patient. This project will develop integrated computational and experimental models for the prediction of patient-specific cancer cell behaviour, to uncover new mechanistic insight and advance multi-scale models. Specifically, the candidate will develop (i) novel microfluidic systems to characterise active cell biomechanics and (ii) coupled predictive models using advanced finite element analysis and agent based modelling. This frontier research will bridge subcellular remodelling and single cell mechanobiology to provide a new fundamental understanding of tumour growth and therapy resistance in breast cancer.

Stipend: Fully-funded four-year scholarship – €22,000 per annum (tax-exempt award). University fees are fully covered by the scholarship. You will also receive a high-end laptop or desktop computer for your research. Travel expenses are included to attend frontier international conferences.

Academic entry requirements: Applicants must hold a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical or Mechanical Engineering, Applied Maths or a related field. Prospective candidates should be enthusiastic, motivated, and willing to learn new skills.

Start Date: October 2024 – January 2025; the position will remain open until filled.

How to Apply: Interested candidates should send their CV (including the names of two referees) and a one-page cover letter outlining their motivation to work on the project to Dr Eoin McEvoy at eoin.mcevoy@universityofgalway.ie. Please use the email subject line “PhD Application” to ensure that applications are processed. You are also welcome to reach out for an informal discussion on the available projects and positions.

Application Deadline: Applications will be reviewed periodically until September 20^th, 2024.

For more information on moving to Ireland, please see www.euraxess.ie

PhD position on mechanobiology of bioengineered microvascular networks @KULEUVEN

Posted on August 6, 2024 by Aurélie Carlier

Applications are invited for a Ph.D. project position within the MAtrix / Mechanobiology & Tissue Engineering research group (www.mech.kuleuven.be/mechanobiology), a bioengineering group that is pioneering the role of cellular forces for microvascular formation and function in health and disease. The group is led by Hans Van Oosterwyck and is one of the few groups worldwide that has established 3D Traction Force Microscopy (TFM) routines and workflows for quantifying cellular force exertion in 3D, and routinely applies them to in vitro models of angiogenesis (endothelial invasion). Together with its research partners, it is currently developing novel in vitro models, compatible with TFM, to study the interplay between cellular force exertion, matrix mechanics and fluid flow, and how this interplay contributes to microvascular lesion formation within the context of specific (genetic) diseases.

Unit website

Project

Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCM) is a microvascular disease characterized by abnormal brain microcapillary beds resulting from mutations in CCM-complex genes, with no current cure. While we have recently demonstrated the significance of aberrant cellular forces for CCM lesion formation in 3D endothelial monoculture systems (see doi: 10.1101/2023.11.27.568780), more complex co-culture systems are needed to better mimic the environment of in vivo lesions. This project centers on deciphering the intricate interactions between endothelial cells (ECs) and pericytes within an advanced vessel-on-a-chip model. By integrating a 3D microfluidic platform with force quantification methods, the study aims to comprehensively elucidate the roles of EC and pericyte forces in CCM progression, emphasizing the dynamic interplay between biochemical and biomechanical factors. Beyond advancing vessel-on-a-chip technology, the project holds promise for broader applications in microvascular disease.

Profile

We are looking for a highly motivated, enthusiastic and communicative researcher with a master’s degree in biomedical engineering, biotechnology or a related field. The candidate should have obtained excellent study results. In addition, we require:

experience with basic cell culture techniques, optical microscopy, preferably live cell imaging in 3D (confocal microscopy, fluorescence microscopy).
some experience with or exposure to scientific computing (such as finite element modelling) and programming (such as Matlab).
a strong interest in mechanobiology and mechanotransduction.
a collaborative attitude, passion for research, creativity

Offer

We are offering an exciting Ph.D. position in a multidisciplinary, international and collaborative research environment. The MAtrix / Mechanobiology & Tissue Engineering group is working on cutting-edge methods for cellular force inference and is addressing important questions in vascular (mechano)biology in close collaboration with its biomedical partners. The group is based at the Leuven Chem&Tech / Leuven Nanocentre (https://set.kuleuven.be/chemtech_nanocentre) that forms the perfect environment for technology development and that houses unique equipment related to e.g. optical microscopy and nanoscopy, micro-, nano- and biofabrication and biosensing. KU Leuven is one of the oldest universities in Europe, with a very rich tradition in research and higher education. Today, it is among the best 100 universities in the world according to both Times Higher Education World Rankings and QS World University Rankings, and was ranked by Reuters as most innovative university of Europe since 2016. Leuven is a vibrant student town at the heart of Belgium and Europe, offering a great quality of life.

The group works in close collaboration with dr. Eva Faurobert at the Institute for Advanced Biosciences (University of Grenoble, France) and profs. Liz Jones, Aernout Luttun, Rozenn Quark and An Zwijsen (Centre for Molecular and Vascular Biology at KU Leuven), with whom you are expected to closely collaborate as well.

research group website
general information on working conditions
gross salary (salary scale 43)

Interested?

For more information please contact prof. Hans Van Oosterwyck, mail: hans.vanoosterwyck@kuleuven.be, Dr. Jorge Barrasa Fano, mail: jorge.barrasafano@kuleuven.be, Dr. Jyotsana Priyadarshani, mail: jyotsana.priyadarshani@kuleuven.be.

You can apply for this job no later than August 21, 2024 via the online application tool

More information: https://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/jobs/60354466?lang=en

Senior Lecturer and Theme Lead in AI for Health @University of Sheffield

Posted on July 4, 2024 by Aurélie Carlier

The Centre for Machine Intelligence (CMI) at The University of Sheffield wish to recruit a Senior Lecturer (Grade 9, equivalent to Associate Professor) in AI for Health.

The CMI is a strategic initiative supported by a £3.64m investment, dedicated to the transformation and acceleration of research, innovation, and teaching on and with AI. This position is one of four academic theme lead appointments. You will work across the CMI and related institutes (the Insigneo Institute and the Healthy Lifespan Institute) for the first three years of the post, after which you will join a School in the Faculty of Health or Faculty of Engineering appropriate to your disciplinary background and expertise.

AI for Health is a key research theme at the University of Sheffield. The recent award of a £4m EPSRC Digital Health Hub offers many opportunities at the interface of AI and health technology, and the University has invested £1.6m in Data Connect, a service to broker access to health data for research. We have strong links with one of the largest NHS trusts in the UK – Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust – and with the Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust. World-class research is undertaken on a broad range of areas including in-silico modelling, digital twins, cancer, cardiovascular disease, medical imaging, health economics/decision science, neuroscience, infection/immunity, and public health.

You will have a background in computational research with digital healthcare data, with a track record in machine learning/AI methodology and its application. You will have direct experience of interdisciplinary collaboration using data from across healthcare sectors. You will have the skills to provide leadership in AI and health, and to work with other theme leads and the Centre Director to ensure that the CMI is at the forefront of AI research, innovation, and impact, nationally and internationally.

More information and application:

https://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DIG334/senior-lecturer-and-theme-lead-in-ai-for-health

PhD Position Scientific Machine Learning and Surrogate Modeling for Cardiovascular Digital Twins @TU Delft

Posted on June 17, 2024 by Aurélie Carlier

We are looking for a motivated and independent PhD candidate to develop highly efficient and robust surrogate models of a multi-scale cardiovascular ‘digital twin’ modelling platform.

A cardiovascular digital twin is a physics-based computer simulation that models an individual’s health and disease states to aid decision-making. These high-fidelity models are often computationally expensive, limiting their personalization and real-time clinical use. In this project, we aim to develop highly efficient data-driven surrogate models for parametrized partial differential equations, with application to computational cardiology.

In this project, you will combine advanced physics-based models of the human heart and vasculature with the latest breakthroughs in machine learning to develop scalable and robust surrogate models of cardiovascular digital twins. These surrogate models will be used to enhance personalized treatment planning and post-treatment monitoring for patients suffering from circulation overload disorders, specifically systemic hypertension, heart failure (with/without preserved ejection fraction), and hemodynamically complicated atrial septal defects.

The research will be conducted in the Department of BioMechanical Engineering at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) under the supervision of dr. ir. Mathias Peirlinck. The Peirlinck Lab integrates multimodal experimental data, physics-based modeling, and machine learning techniques to understand, explore, and predict the multiscale behavior of the human heart and cardiovascular system. More information on the research and team can be found on https://peirlincklab.com. This research is part of the VITAL project (https://vital-horizoneurope.eu/), a large international collaboration developing a comprehensive, clinically validated, multi-scale, multi-organ ‘digital twin’ modelling platform that is driven by and can represent individual patient data acquired both in the clinic and from wearable technology.

Prior experience in both scientific machine learning and numerical analysis of PDEs and ODEs is required. In addition, experience in the field of cardiac modeling, arterial modeling, (soft tissue) biomechanics, and/or electrophysiology will be strongly appreciated. As the successful candidate for this position, you will develop scientific machine learning algorithms, develop and run high-performance computer simulations, construct pipelines for model personalization to structural and functional data, and develop APIs between various software codes. You will actively participate in (bi)weekly lab meetings, write scientific articles and reports, and give presentations and workshops at national and international conferences. Besides your research activities, you will also take part in teaching and supervision activities within the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of Delft University of Technology and beyond.

More information:

https://www.tudelft.nl/over-tu-delft/werken-bij-tu-delft/vacatures/details?jobId=17669

New 4-year PDRA position @ University of Glasgow

Posted on June 4, 2024 by Aurélie Carlier

deadline 11^th July 2024

The University of Glasgow is offering a unique opportunity for a Research Associate to make a leading contribution to the Centre for Future Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Planning. The vision of the Centre is to develop novel and robust mathematical and statistical methodologies, supported by large clinical data sets, to create computational tools for optimisation of cardiovascular procedures. Based within the James Watt School of Engineering, you will work closely with colleagues from Mathematics & Statistics, Cardiovascular & Metabolic Health and Politecnico di Torino, as well as several leading international clinical centres and medical devices/imaging companies.

You will work on the development of a range of mathematical models and their numerical solution, covering areas including patient geometry reconstruction, fluid-structure interaction, soft tissue mechanics, growth and remodelling and multiphysics modelling. You should have a PhD, or have equivalent experience, in Applied Mathematics, Physics, Computational Engineering, or a related discipline. You should have theoretical and practical knowledge of building multiphysics mathematical models and numerically solving them. Experience in patient geometry reconstruction from medical imaging, soft tissue mechanics and fluid-structure interaction modelling would be desirable.

You will also be expected to contribute to the formulation and submission of research publications and research proposals as well as help manage and direct this complex and challenging project, as opportunities allow.

For more details on the vacancy (147648) and to apply, please visit the university webpage here: https://my.corehr.com/pls/uogrecruit/erq_jobspec_version_4.jobspec?p_id=147648

Informal enquiries about the role are welcomed, and should be addressed to Dr Sean McGinty, sean.mcginty@glasgow.ac.uk

Join the VMHTsOP project!

Posted on May 12, 2024 by Aurélie Carlier

Four Research positions available at Insigneo (University of Sheffield) to join the “Virtual Mouse and Human Twins for optimising Treatments for Osteoporosis (VMHTsOP)” project!
The VMHTsOP project aims at developing the first inter-species Virtual Mouse-Human Twin for predicting bone adaptation over time and optimise biomechanical and/or pharmacological treatments for Osteoporosis. It is a 5 years project that will start in September 2024, led by Prof Enrico Dall’Ara at the University of Sheffield, Division of Clinical Medicine and Insigneo institute. The project has been selected by ERC-consolidator grant and funded by the EPSRC through the EU Guarantee fund.
Don’t miss the opportunity to join the team for this exciting research project!

Current Available Positions:
• Research Associate (PostDoc) in “Preclinical musculoskeletal imaging and biomechanics”; 3yrs; start in Sep 2024; closing date applications 4th June 2024
• Research Associate (PostDoc) in “Computational musculoskeletal biomechanics”; 3yrs; start in Sep 2024; closing date applications 4th June 2024
• Research Technician with expertise in imaging and histology; 3yrs; start in Sep 2024; closing date applications 4th June 2024
• PhD student in “A biochemo-mechano multi-scale computational model to predict bone adaptation over space and time”; salary and fees (for UK students) for 3.5yrs; start in Oct 2024; closing date applications 10th June 2024
For any enquiries, please contact Prof Enrico Dall’Ara at e.dallara@sheffield.ac.uk

Summary of the project
Eighty per cent of pharmaceutical interventions fail in patients even after being successful in animal studies. Musculoskeletal (MSK) diseases such as osteoporosis (OP) reduce dramatically the quality of life of millions of affected patients. Mice are the most common animal model to test new treatments. Nevertheless, the extrapolation of their effect onto patients and the identification of which new treatments should be tested in clinical studies is based on simple scaling approaches.
In this project we will develop a new mechanistic computational framework that bridges between mouse and human, informed by in vivo experiments in mice, to discover optimal treatments in patients. We will create two parallel virtual mouse and human twins (VMHTs-OP), based on similar inputs (biomedical images, cell data, gait data) that will predict bone adaptation in function of biomechanical and/or biochemical stimuli. Each virtual twin will be based on advanced multi-scale computational models (multi-body dynamics, finite element and cell-population models) to predict bone adaptation over time and space due to OP and to new biomechanical and pharmacological treatments, identifying in silico the new combined treatments that are likely to be effective in patients, to be tested in future clinical trials.
The models will be going through a comprehensive verification, validation and uncertainties quantification process in order to provide the required credibility for future preclinical applications. The model predictions will be validated against longitudinal mouse experiments and available longitudinal clinical data from known biomechanical or pharmacological interventions. Finally, the validated framework will be used to test in silico several combinations of treatments regimens (overlap, intermitted, drug holidays) and different interventions (microgravity, high strain exercises) that would not be ethically nor economically testable in animal and clinical trials.