Two doctoral students, biomedical engineering, acoustics and microfluidics - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

The Division of Biomedical Engineering has approximately 50 researchers whose theoretical and experimental activities address issues linked to medical and biological research areas from a basis of engineering knowledge.

Our team is well-reputed in the research field of acoustofluidics due to our fundamental experimental studies of ultrasound resonances to generate forces on microscopic objects inside microchannels. We also develop applications for this within the area of biomedical engineering. Applications include separating circulating tumour cells from cancer patients’ blood or capturing extracellular vesicles from blood and urine.

Subject description
Are you driven by a desire to explore basic physics and are you interested in its future applications within medical engineering? Are you eager to build up your own experiments in collaboration with skilled and pleasant colleagues? Are you interested in a career as a researcher within academia or do you prepare for a future job in the R&D department of a company?

The project you will be involved in aims to develop ultrasound technology to separate rare cells from blood samples within a few minutes. To achieve this, you will study basic interactions and transport phenomena linked to ultrasound resonances at the microscale. The project is funded by the European Research Council (ERC).

Work duties

The main duties of doctoral students are to devote themselves to their research studies which includes participating in research projects and third cycle courses. The work duties will also include teaching and other departmental duties (no more than 20%).

The successful candidates’ research work will primarily consist of experimental studies of basic physical phenomena related to standing ultrasound waves in microfluidic systems. In the projects, we will also develop engineering platforms for handling cells in microfluidic systems with an aim to separate out, visually record and collect sub-groups of blood cells from blood samples using ultrasound. The following are examples of tasks:

• Carry out experimental physics in close collaboration with theoreticians
• Design of microfluidic chips for acoustic separation of cells
• Build a microfluidic system with pumps, valves, electronic controls and software
• Build a combined optical and acoustic platform for studies of acoustic flow phenomena inside microchannels
• Microscopy and image analysis
• Handling and analysis of blood samples and cultivated cells
• Write academic publications and illustrations
• Present research results at scientific conferences
• Assist as supervisor of first cycle students and degree projects
• Participate in group meetings and seminars

Admission requirements

A person meets the general admission requirements for third-cycle courses and study programmes if he or she:

• has been awarded a second-cycle qualification, or
• has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second cycle, or
• has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

A person meets the specific admission requirements for third cycle studies in biomedical engineering if he or she has: at least 45 second-cycle credits of relevance to the field of study.

Additional requirements:

• Very good oral and written proficiency in English.

 
Assessment criteria

Selection for third-cycle studies is based on the student’s potential to profit from such studies. The assessment of potential is made primarily on the basis of academic results from the first and second cycle. Special attention is paid to the following:

Knowledge and skills relevant to the thesis project and the subject of study. An assessment of ability to work independently and to formulate and tackle research problems. Written and oral communication skills Other experience relevant to the third-cycle studies, e.g. professional experience.

Other assessment criteria:

• Degree of Master of Science in Engineering preferably within engineering physics, nanoengineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering biomedical engineering or equivalent
• Experience of ultrasound physics or engineering
• Experience of laser or optical systems
• Experience of microfluidics
• Experience of technology development or product development
• Experience of programming
• Experience of image and data processing
• An interest in biology or medicine

 
Consideration will also be given to good collaborative skills, drive and independence, and how the applicant, through his or her experience and skills, is deemed to have the abilities necessary for successfully completing the third cycle programme.

Terms of employment

Only those admitted to third cycle studies may be appointed to a doctoral studentship. Third cycle studies at LTH consist of full-time studies for 4 years. A doctoral studentship is a fixed-term employment of a maximum of 5 years (including 20% departmental duties). Doctoral studentships are regulated in the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100), chapter 5, 1-7 §§.

Instructions on how to apply

Applications shall be written in English and include a cover letter stating the reasons why you are interested in the position and in what way the research project corresponds to your interests and educational background. The application must also contain a CV, degree certificate or equivalent, and other documents you wish to be considered (grade transcripts, contact information for your references, letters of recommendation, etc.).