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).
