Postdoctoral Researcher Biofabrication & Biomaterials Engineering

UMC Utrecht is looking for a postdoctoral researcher with expertise in one or more of the following topics: 3D (bio)printing, biofabrication, biomaterials and macro-molecular chemistry.

Dit ga je doen

We are looking for ambitious and motivated candidates to help push organoid/tubuloid-based kidney models into a scalable, high-performance organoid-on-chip format. The core idea is to print structures that give cells a lot more functional surface area, while developing a blood-facing surface chemistry that stays hemocompatible. We are looking for someone who can bridge materials, fabrication and biology using our state-of-the-art facilities.

The main challenge is that our current kidney module concept does not naturally scale to larger surface areas. We need printable, bio-instructive substrates that reliably support cell adhesion, polarisation and long-term transporter function under flow on the epithelial side, while the opposing surface remains hemocompatible. This is an open materials/bio-interface/(bio)engineering problem, and it sits right at the intersection of biomaterials chemistry, surface engineering, and biofabrication.

Your role

In this position you will develop and iterate the full stack: materials chemistry, printing strategy, and device architecture, working closely with colleagues on tubuloid biology and organ-on-chip readouts. Typical directions can include:

1. Designing biomaterial formulations that print cleanly and support tubuloid attachment and polarization
2. Creating compartmentalized or asymmetric interfaces (cell-instructive versus hemocompatible)
3. Building high surface-to-volume geometries (porous/fibrous scaffolds, microstructured membranes, folded/stacked designs, microchannel networks)
4. Exploring hybrid vasculature concepts where perfusable channels and epithelial modules can be integrated without compromising either side

We’re intentionally not looking for one narrow “perfect” background. The common denominator is that you can operate across advanced biofabrication and biomaterials engineering, and you enjoy solving interface problems that don’t have an off-the-shelf answer.

What to expect

What you can expect from us: access to new multimaterial biofabrication hardware and fast iteration cycles; an interdisciplinary environment with direct links to tubuloid/organoid expertise; and a project where success is measurable (surface area scaling, stable function under flow, and reproducible manufacturing).

Hier ga je werken

The Nephrology department is part of the Internal Medicine and Dermatology Division with approximately one thousand employees. The division focuses on care, research, education and training. The specialty of nephrology is concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of (chronic) kidney diseases. The department consists of an outpatient clinic, a day treatment department, a dialysis department, a nursing department and a research laboratory.

Our team consists of staff doctors, dialysis nurses, AIOS, nurse specialists, a physician assistant, transplant nurses, social workers, dieticians, medical secretaries, management assistants and researchers.

Dit neem je mee

• A PhD in a relevant area; biomaterials, polymer/soft-matter chemistry, chemical/biomedical engineering, biofabrication, or similar.
• Demonstrated experience with translating biomaterial formulations into reproducible constructs (e.g., lithographic printing, molding/casting, microfabrication, electrospinning, or 3D printing), including optimization of formulations and processing parameters.
• Comfort working at bio-interfaces: cell–material interactions, surface modification, anti-fouling/hemocompatibility concepts, or adjacent topics.
• A collaborative working style; this project lives at the chemistry–engineering–biology boundary.
• Nice-to-haves (not required): experience with photopolymer chemistry and curing kinetics and coatings; microfluidic device constraints; membrane/scaffold design for transport; blood–material testing or an interest in learning it.