A PhD position on the development of cartilage- and bone-specific bioinks for light-based bioprinting

The project will be executed in the department of materials engineering and the skeletal biology and engineering research center (SBE) and in close collaboration with the industry.
The student will be well-embedded in an interdisciplinary team and will have access to a large set of equipment ranging from cell culture facilities to advanced microscopes, additive manufacturing tools and equipment for in-depth material characterization.

KU Leuven, established in 1425, ranks number 42 on the Times Higher Education list. Moreover, according to the Reuters ranking, it is the seventh most innovative university worldwide (number one in Europe, after six American universities).

Project

Current treatments to restore severely damaged osteochondral tissues are often inadequate or expensive and may require multiple surgeries. The field of tissue engineering (TE) aims to offer a sustainable solution via a regenerative approach in which biomaterials, cells and cellular cues can be combined to develop a cell-based implant for tissue-specific repair. Although major advances have been made in the last decades, TE-approaches still suffer from process variability and unpredictable biological outcomes. To overcome these issues, additive manufacturing techniques such as 3D-bioprinting have emerged. While initially mainly inkjet- and extrusion-based bioprinting technologies were being explored, is the field of bioprinting now moving towards the use of faster light-based bioprinting techniques. In this project, we aim to develop tissue-specific bioinks for bone and cartilage and suitable for light-based bioprinting. These new inks will enable us to move beyond the current state-of-the-art on bioink development and will open new avenues for sustainable osteochondral tissue repair.

The goal of this multidisciplinary project is to develop novel tissue-specific bioinks for cartilage and bone repair and suitable for processing with light-based bioprinting tools. More specifically the project aims to:

• Characterize novel polymeric (bio)inks using rheology and mechanical testing
• Evaluate the biocompatibility and processability of designed (bio)inks
• Investigate the biological performance of novel (bio)inks for bone and cartilage repair
• Establish methods for upscaling and storage

Profile

Our team is recruiting a highly motivated PhD candidate, who has a strong interest in material characterization, bioprinting and skeletal tissue regeneration. 

We are looking for a PhD student with the following requirements:

• You hold a master’s degree in engineering, bioscience engineering or equivalent and graduated with distinction.
• You are a team-player with a critical mind, work accurately and have a profound interest in material characterization (including (photo-)rheology and mechanical characterization), bioprinting and skeletal tissue engineering. 
• You have good interpersonal skills and motivation to work in a multidisciplinary, internationally oriented research team
• You are able to work independently, pay attention to experimental accuracy and precision with new concepts in a creative and critical way
• You have good communication skills to report results (written and oral)
• You are very fluent in English, both spoken and written
• Previous experience as a research assistant or industrial expertise in a specific domain of the position is a plus
• You are willing to write a PhD fellowship proposal for national funding

We are looking for an enthusiastic PhD candidate who shows a proactive attitude towards research in developing next generation bioinks for light-based bioprinting. 

Offer

We offer a full-time position for 1 year (prolonged to four years upon positive evaluation). Our young and dynamic team will support you to successfully obtain a PhD degree via a proper scientific training at a top-ranked university. You will have an advanced training in material characterizations, bioprinting, cell culture, (in vitro) biological validation and skeletal tissue engineering approaches. You will participate in a larger interdisciplinary project. You will have opportunities to participate at national and international meetings/conferences, and establish your own network. You are also strongly encouraged to follow extra-curricular courses provided by the Arenberg Doctoral School in support of your broader (non-)academic training. Complete information about a PhD at the KU Leuven is in the following link.

Interested?

You can apply for this job no later than December 6 2024 via the online application tool by providing the following documents:

• CV mentioning two reference people
• Motivation letter
• Complete transcripts of Bachelor and Master Degree 
• Any certificate proving your proficiency in English

For more information, please contact

·       Prof. Veerle Bloemen, Vesaliusstraat 13 – box 2600, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
Email: veerle.bloemen@kuleuven.be Tel: +32 16 30 10 95

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