ESBiomech24 Congress in Edinburgh

PhD position in Computational Mechanics with an emphasis on Biomechanics and Piezoelectric Material

A PhD position shared in collaboration between the Computational Mechanobiology Group at the Julius Wolff Institute (Charite Medical School in Berlin) and the Computational and Structural Mechanics group at the Institute of Mechanics in Technische Universität Berlin is vacant. 

Topic 

Bone has the ability to self-regenerate after injury, however, large bone defects often lead to delayed healing or non-unions. The treatment of these conditions remains a clinical challenge. To overcome the limitations of current bone treatment options, novel alternatives hold promise as the next generation of tissue engineering scaffolds. Experimental trial and error in the design of these scaffolds could be reduced by the development of a computer platform that could support the design of these scaffolds. The project therefore aims to develop suitable numerical models to investigate the behaviour and optimal design of tissue engineering scaffolds and their influence on the bone regeneration process. 

Your tasks 

You will employ engineering, mathematical and computational techniques (FEM) to determine the mechanical and electrical signals generated due to the physiological stimulation of a scaffold and to investigate how these signals influence the bone regeneration process. You will also investigate how different parameters influence the bone healing process. Using this understanding, the potential design optimization of scaffolds (concerning scaffold geometrical and material properties) will be also investigated. You have to be able to employ experimental data available to validate and qualify the numerical prediction. 

Your profile 

 Highly motivated candidate with a Master’s or comparable degree in mechanical engineering/biomedical engineering/material science and engineering/mathematical biology or a related discipline 

 Strong skills in Finite Element Modelling (e.g. Abaqus) 

 Ideally knowledge or experience in material science in particular piezoelectric materials 

 Knowledge in Programming is advantageous (e.g. C/C++, Matlab, Python) 

 Willingness to work in a multidisciplinary project 

 Very good English language skills (oral and written) 

What we provide 

This position is fully funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) for a period of three years (100%, E13 salary group). You will work in friendly teams of highly qualified researchers and in unique research environments. Expected start date is at the earliest convenience, ideally May 1st, 2020. 

Application / Contact 

Please submit your application before March 31st, 2020 via e-mail to Dr. Melika Mohammadkhah (Melika.mohammadkhah@tu-berlin.de). Your email should contain a single PDF document (subject: “Application: PhD position”) including the letter of motivation, your CV (with contact information of at least two references), transcripts of the bachelor’s and master’s diploma, proof of English language skills. 


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