The Nanoengineering Group at CIC nanoGUNE in San Sebastián (Spain) is currently looking for a

PREDOCTORAL RESEARCHER

who is interested in performing a PhD thesis in the area of

OPTICAL SENSING FOR BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS

The main objective of this project is to develop a continuous, low cost and disposable pH/lactate measuring device for assisting childbirth delivery. To accelerate preclinical development of this novel device, we also propose to evaluate its degree of agreement with current standards, as the biochemical determination of fetal calotte blood.

The superior goal of the program is to implement a photonic system for measuring fetal lactate concentration and pH during labour in a non-invasive manner. The candidate will work with the Nanoengineering Group at CIC nanoGUNE and covers the following tasks:

• Optical and electrical measurements of different pH values and lactate concentrations to optimize sensitivity and specificity of the methods 
• Characterization of the measurements in animal blood and animal tissue
• Design of an integrated probe for pH, lactate and optionally oxygen saturation measurements
• In vivo experiments with animals
• Measurements with human material

This research will be carried out in close collaboration with the groups of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Tissue Engineering at Biodonostia Health Research Institute http://www.biodonostia.org/en/. It is expected that the candidate will work at both places and is open for highly multidisciplinary research.

The Nanoengineering group led by Prof. Andreas Seifert focuses on research at the interface between fundamental nanoscience and applied engineering, in particular in the area of biomedical microsystems. More information can be found in http://www.nanogune.eu/nanoengineering.

Job description

• Microfabrication of devices 
• In vitro and animal experiments 
• Data analysis and physical understanding of the results
• Handling of biological samples and applying medical research methods

Your qualifications/requirements

• Applicants must be residents in the Basque Country
• Master degree or equivalent in Biomedical Engineering, Biophysics or related discipline
• Experience on the following techniques will be valued:
  • Microfabrication processes (lithography, etching, etc.)
  • Photonic measurement techniques
  • Data analysis and programming languages
  • Biomedical engineering
• High degree of self-motivation and willingness to perform independent interdisciplinary research
• Good verbal and written communication skills in English

We offer

The position is a max. of 4-year term appointment subject to a successful subsequent application for a PREDOC BERRI grant. Deadline for the application at nanoGUNE is 25/06/2017, deadline to apply for the grant is 03/07/2017.

How to apply

Applicants should send their CV and certificates together with a cover letter explaining his/her interest to Professor Andreas Seifert a.seifert@nanogune.eu

More info about PREDOC BERRI grant