PhD Position Development Spectroscopic Sensor for Real-time Monitoring of Liver Perfusion Systems

PhD Position Development Spectroscopic Sensor for Real-time Monitoring of Liver Perfusion Systems

Consortium

This PhD position is part of a collaboration between the Clinical Organ Preservation and Repair program at Erasmus MC in Rotterdam and the section of Bioprocess Engineering at Delft University of Technology. The overarching goal is to increase donor organ utilization through merging cell therapy techniques with state-of-the-art organ perfusion strategies.

PhD project

The aim of the PhD project is to develop and implement a point-of-care spectroscopic sensor to determine the impact of the cell therapy during organ perfusion. This includes generating experimental data sets with a commercially available spectrometer, development of data (pre-)processing pipelines, and machine learning model training to identify relevant biological states of the liver (e.g., healthy, recovering, not healthy). The (soft) sensor development should lead to a closed-loop fluidic system, that can be operated without manual intervention. Moreover, through data mining of the experimental dataset, it is envisioned that (several) biomarkers are identified as (novel) key analytes for perfusion monitoring. The described goals reflect that this project contains both experimental and computational activities.

Research groups

This project will be co-supervised by two research groups at the Department of Biotechnology at Delft University of Technology, namely the Klijn lab and Ottens lab. The Klijn lab focuses on the implementation of advanced data analytics in a variety of biotechnological applications to facilitate real-time monitoring for in-depth biological understanding and subsequent automated process control. The Ottens lab works on implementation of miniaturized sensors for high-throughput screening, for bioprocessing as well as biomedical applications. These research groups fall within the Bioprocess Engineering section, providing an inspiring social environment.

Job requirements

We are looking for an outstanding and creative researcher with a strong affinity to work at the boundary of multiple disciplines, namely biomedical research, organ and cell biology, and machine learning for data analysis. This includes an intrinsic motivation to expand your horizon, ability to learn quickly, and strong communication skills to easily connect with other experts in and outside the project.

Required educational background

• A MSc degree in technical medicine, bioengineering, biomedical science, immunology, biotechnology, (bio)analytical chemistry, bioinformatics, or closely related field

Required recent experience during MSc thesis and/or MSc internship with:

• Biological lab work, for example: sample preparation, cell/protein assay development, or cell culture
• (Bio)chemical analytical techniques (e.g., HPLC, GC, ELISA, flow cytometry)
• Analyzing complex and/or multidimensional datasets
• Programming for data analytics (e.g., Python, R)

If you do not recognize yourself in all required skills, please include a clear motivation and approach on how you would like to acquire missing skills during the project in your motivation letter.

Skills that are considered a plus

• Experience with analyzing spectroscopic data and/or -omics data
• Mammalian cell culture

Sought-after transferable skills

• Pro-active and problem-solving mindset
• Excellent written and spoken English skills
• Ability to break-down and communicate complex research data
• Thrives in a fast-paced, multidisciplinary, and highly collaborative environment

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact! 🧬

Faculty Applied Sciences

With more than 1,100 employees, including 150 pioneering principal investigators, as well as a population of about 3,600 passionate students, the Faculty of Applied Sciences is an inspiring scientific ecosystem. Focusing on key enabling technologies, such as quantum- and nanotechnology, photonics, biotechnology, synthetic biology and materials for energy storage and conversion, our faculty aims to provide solutions to important problems of the 21st century. To that end, we educate innovative students in broad Bachelor's and specialist Master's programmes with a strong research component. Our scientists conduct ground-breaking fundamental and applied research in the fields of Life and Health Science & Technology, Nanoscience, Chemical Engineering, Radiation Science & Technology, and Engineering Physics. We are also training the next generation of high school teachers.

Conditions of employment

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1.5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2.5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 3059 per month in the first year to € 3881 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

Will you need to relocate to the Netherlands for this job? TU Delft is committed to make your move as smooth as possible! The HR unit, Coming to Delft Service, offers information on their website to help you prepare your relocation. In addition, Coming to Delft Service organises events to help you settle in the Netherlands, and expand your (social) network in Delft. A Dual Career Programme is available, to support your accompanying partner with their job search in the Netherlands.

Additional information

For more information about this position and/or project, please contact dr.ir. Marieke Klijn (assistant professor), per e-mail: M.E.Klijn@tudelft.nl

For more information about the application procedure, please contact our management assistant, Kawieta Ramautar, per email: K.G.Ramautar@tudelft.nl