The department of Cell Biology-Inspired Tissue Engineering (cBITE) at the MERLN Institute for Technology-inspired Regenerative Medicine at Maastricht University in the Netherlands invites applications for a PhD position. The PhD Candidate will perform cutting-edge research in computational modeling methods applied to regenerative medicine and more specifically, to (fibrotic) tissue remodeling processes.

Regenerative medicine (RM) holds the promise to cure many of what are now chronic patients, restoring health rather than protracting decline, bettering the lives of millions and at the same time preventing lifelong, expensive care processes: cure instead of care. The scientific community has made large steps in this direction over the past decade, however our understanding of the fundamentals of cell, tissue and organ regeneration and of how to stimulate and guide this with intelligent biomaterials in the human body is still in its infancy. Materials properties such as elasticity, topography, hydrophobicity, and porosity have all been shown to influence cell fate, and the introduction of high-throughput combinatorial approaches is expediting research. However, in order to improve the design of synthetic biomaterials, it is crucial to understand the physiological cell-biomaterial interactions and how these influence the tissue remodeling process. This research project aims to use in silico models to simulate physiological and fibrotic cell-ECM interactions, including dynamic tissue remodeling through ECM deposition and alignment, to improve our fundamental understanding thereof and use the obtained knowledge to design improved synthetic matrices.  

Project description:

• Computational modeling of tissue remodeling to inform the design of synthetic matrices
• Multiscale modeling: coupling ABM to FEM to investigate the role of dynamic tissue compositions and alignment
• Parameter optimization and sensitivity analysis
• Analysis and integration of various in vitro/in vivo data for model calibration

What we offer:

• Computational ecosystem at Maastricht University: Institute for Data Science (IDS), Department of Knowledge Engineering (DKE) and Maastricht Centre for Systems Biology (MacsBio)
• Excellent computational and experimental facilities to validate the in silico analyses and predictions in vitro/in vivo
• Interdisciplinary environment within MERLN and the “Materials-driven regeneration (MDR)-consortium”

Project embedding:

The project will be coordinated by the MERLN Institute for Technology-Inspired Regenerative Medicine (http://merln.maastrichtuniversity.nl/) as part of the “Materials-driven regeneration (MDR)-consortium” (see http://www.mdrresearch.nl/ for more information) which brings together an interdisciplinary team of excellent scientists at three leading institutes (ICMS at Eindhoven University of Technology, RMU at Utrecht University and MERLN at Maastricht University). The central goal of MDR’s research program is to investigate, design and use intelligent biomaterials that drive the functional regeneration of living tissues and organs under complex (patho)physiological conditions.

Requirements and key expertise

• Master’s degree in mathematical biology, computational mathematics, biomedical engineering, numerical optimization, biophysics, systems biology, bioinformatics, computer science or equivalent;
• Demonstrated ability to work independently as well as in a team;
• Good programming skills (for example Comsol, Matlab, Python, R, VCell);
• Affinity with regenerative medicine;
• Good oral and written English communication.

Temporary employment for 4 years. The first year will be a probation period, after a positive assessment the position will be extended for another 3 years, which happens in the vast majority of cases. Each year an evaluation will take place.

Your salary will be € 2.541 gross per month in the first year up to € 3.247 gross per month in the fourth year according to the PhD-candidate salary scale. An 8% holiday and an 8.3% year-end allowance is also provided.

The terms of employment of Maastricht University are set out in the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities (CAO). Furthermore, local UM provisions also apply. For more information look at the website www.maastrichtuniversity.nl > About UM > Working at UM.

The terms of employment of Maastricht University are set out in the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities (CAO). Furthermore, local UM provisions also apply. For more information look at the website www.maastrichtuniversity.nl > About UM > Working at UM.

Maastricht University (UM)

Maastricht University is renowned for its unique, innovative, problem-based learning system, which is characterized by a small-scale and student-oriented approach. Research at UM is characterized by a multidisciplinary and thematic approach, and is concentrated in research institutes and schools. Maastricht University has around 22,000 students and 5,000 employees. Reflecting the university's strong international profile, a fair amount of both students and staff are from abroad. The university hosts 6 faculties: Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Faculty of Law, School of Business and Economics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience.
For more information, visit www.maastrichtuniversity.nl.

Maastricht is the southernmost city in the Netherlands, and is the capital of the province of Limburg. Situated on the Maas River, within walking distance of Belgium and cycling distance of Germany, it claims to be the oldest city in the Netherlands (a claim it shares with Nijmegen). A great place to spend some time, it contains some magnificent buildings and culture, taking the form of plenty of old houses and buildings, lovely cathedrals and a spectacularly cobblestoned town center. The city is also well known for its fine cuisine, excellent shops and multicultural atmosphere.

MERLN

The MERLN Institute for Technology-inspired Regenerative Medicine focuses on developing novel and challenging technologies to advance the field of tissue and organ repair and regeneration through, amongst others, the development of high-throughput material platforms to screen cell-biomaterial interactions. MERLN consists of an interdisciplinary team of researchers including fields as (stem cell) biology, materials engineering, chemistry, micro/nanofabrication, additive manufacturing, etc. The scientists at MERLN have an extensive network of collaborators within research institutions in and outside the Netherlands as well as with a number of biomedical companies, including their own spin-off companies, as entrepreneurship is highly fostered.