PhD in Bioreactor-based preservation of human heart valves

Job description
Are you fascinated by the potential of maintaining heart valves outside of the human body?
Are you eager to contribute to better and sustainable healthcare at the interface of engineering and biology?
Are you passionate about inspiring and mentoring students and working in a high-end collaborative and interdisciplinary research environment?
Are you our next PhD candidate in bioreactor-based preservation of human heart valves?
Information
The Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) is seeking a
highly talented, ambitious and passionate PhD candidate
to investigate and further develop our model of heart valve preservation. We aim to develop a way to keep heart valves alive outside of the human body using dynamic bioreactors where the valves open and close as they do in the human body. As the successful candidate, your research with us will contribute to broader efforts to culture living cardiac tissues and to study their function and their response to immune cells and immune protective technology, closely aligned with our BIOSHIELD consortium funded by the Dutch Heart Foundation. Our group’s research concentrates on developing and improving heart valve replacements in young children born with congenital heart disease. The current valve replacement options available in clinical practice cannot adapt to the growing heart of a child and can elicit immune responses that destroy and calcify implanted valves. Therefore, these young patients require multiple invasive operations throughout their lives. We investigate how to develop a living valve that can grow with the heart and is safe from immune rejection. Alongside our advances in in-situ tissue engineering of heart valves, we investigate strategies for immune shielding and culture of living human donor heart valves as an alternative approach. An essential step in moving this approach forward is to maintain and
preserve heart valves outside the human body
. In this project, we will
focus on extended culture and preservation of donor valves, unravelling valve homeostatic maintenance, and translating this knowledge into smart culture conditions and bioreactor designs with feedback options.
This presents an
exciting engineering challenge
: designing systems that can reproduce the complex flow conditions, pressures, and mechanical stimuli experienced by heart valves in the human body. By
combining mechanical design, fluid dynamics, and biomedical engineering, we aim to develop innovative bioreactor technologies
.
You will generate unprecedented experimental data as a pioneer in the field to unravel the conditions for optimal ex vivo cardiovascular tissue preservation. Your investigations will build upon our track record on bioreactor design for tissue-engineered heart valves and in-house expertise with heart perfusion models to build a system that can maintain heart valves viable outside of the human body.
To that end, your research will include a selection of techniques including: i) flow-based bioreactor development, ii) sterile vessel and tissue culture, and iii) sophisticated tissue analysis including advanced microscopy. You are expected to write a doctoral thesis and publish your research results in scientific journals. A small part of your doctoral position will involve teaching in courses as well as the supervision of students at the bachelor’s and master’s levels offered by the group. Also, an educational and professional development program will be offered to you.
You will be embedded in a highly inspiring research environment, both socially and professionally, which facilitates access to high-end research facilities, as well as fosters interdisciplinary collaborations. You will be an integral member of the
Soft Tissue Engineering and Mechanobiology (STEM) group of the Department Biomedical Engineering
, and specifically operate at the interface of the teams led by
Assistant Professor dr Marijn Peters (Translational Engineering for Pediatric Cardiovascular Regeneration)
and
Professor Carlijn Bouten (Cell-Matrix Interactions for Cardiovascular Regeneration)
at the Department of Biomedical Engineering at TU/e. You will also work together with the team of Julie Legrand (Mechanical Engineering) and Assistant Professor Marcel Rutten (Cardiovascular Biomechanics) to build upon their work on Soft Robotics Systems, Biomechanical models, and Vascular Bioreactors.
Your project is aligned with our BIOSHIELD consortium of the Hartstichting: BIOengineering immune Shielded Heart valve Implants: Engineering Living Donor tissue by translating prenatal protection mechanisms from the womb to the heart. In this consortium, we work together with cardiothoracic surgery and transplantation immunology at the University Medical Center Utrecht and the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital and the ETB-Bislife Multi Tissue Center. We stimulate and foster cross-institutional collaborations as part of the project.

Requirements
A master’s degree (or an equivalent university degree) in Mechanical Engineering with affinity for biomedical applications, Biomedical Engineering, or comparable discipline.
Experience with cell and tissue culture is a must. Competencies with mechanobiology, bioreactors, and preclinical research will be considered as a relevant added value.
A research-oriented attitude.
Ability to effectively communicate scientific ideas, foster collaborations and have a capability for independent thinking.
Ability to work independently within a multidisciplinary team with researchers at various academic levels.
Fluent in spoken and written English (C1 level).

Conditions of employment
Fixed-term
contract
: 4 years.
A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station.
In addition, we offer you:
Full-time employment for four years, with an intermediate assessment after nine months. You will spend a minimum of 10% of your four-year employment on teaching tasks, with a maximum of 15% per year of your employment.
To support and mentor you during your PhD and to prepare you for the rest of your career, you will have free access to a personal development program for PhD students (
PROOF program
).
Salary and benefits (such as a pension scheme, paid pregnancy and maternity leave, partially paid parental leave) in accordance with the
Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities
, scale P (min. € 3,204 - max. € 4,051 gross base salary per month (full-time)).
In addition to your base salary, you will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus, both calculated based on your annual gross base salary.
Generous leave options: a standard 29 days (based on a 38 hour working week) per year that you can increase to 41 days by working two hours more per week (flexible working hours). This is prorated if you work part-time.
As a TU/e employee, you participate in the ABP pension scheme, providing retirement pension and pension benefits for surviving dependents and occupational disability. TU/e pays 70% of the pension premium, while employees contribute the remaining 30%.
High-quality training programs and other support to grow into a self-aware, autonomous scientific researcher. At TU/e we challenge you to take charge of your own
learning process
.
An excellent technical infrastructure, and on-campus children's day care.
Unlimited access to the modern on‑campus
TU/e Student Sports Center
at an exceptionally affordable rate.
We support your wellbeing with free 24/7 access to OpenUp, providing you and your family with mental health support, expert guidance, and online training.
An allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs.
A
Staff Immigration Team
and a tax compensation scheme (the
Expat Scheme
) for international candidates.
On our website you can discover even more information about our

conditions of employment
. Build on your career at TU/e!

Employer
TU/e
We are a leading international university where scientific curiosity meets a hands-on mindset. We work in an open and collaborative way with high-tech industries to tackle complex societal challenges. Our responsible and respectful approach ensures impact — today and in the future. TU/e is home to over 13,000 students and more than 7,000 staff, forming a diverse and vibrant academic community. Discover what
Light Up
means to TU/e in our short
company video
.
Our university is located in Brainport Eindhoven — a world‑leading tech region with more than 7,000 high‑tech companies and strong R&D activity. Known for breakthroughs in AI, photonics, semiconductors and advanced manufacturing, Brainport is a place where technology serves people and society. Learn more about the Brainport region
here
.
The Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) offers a research-driven BME Bachelor program and Masters in Biomedical Engineering and Medical Engineering in its Graduate Program. Its research areas range from Molecular Bioengineering and Imaging, Biomechanics and Tissue Engineering to Biomedical Imaging and Modelling. The department has more than 800 students and up to 200 tenured and nontenured employees.