Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of disabling morbidity and mortality. Our mission at the University of Twente is to assess and optimize innovative medical therapies that can elicit favorable effects in the patients and promote heart recovery. For this purpose, this PhD is focused on developing an innovative and unprecedent in vitro cardiovascular twin model of the patient undergoing medical therapy, linking cardiovascular physiology with cell biology. The twin model will combine different in vitro techniques to offer a reliable experimental platform to test medical therapy both on patient hemodynamics and myocardial tissue mechanics. This innovative and unique twin model will provide an alternative low-cost, high throughput and ethically sustainable asset for cardiovascular therapy investigations, with the ultimate goal to foster the improvement of medical therapy and to replace animal experiments.

The work with be conducted in collaboration between two research groups, in a multidisciplinary environment. Join the CRPH and AST groups, and benefit from multidisciplinary team where clinicians, technical physicians, engineers, biochemists and biotechnologists converge.

We offer a young multicultural and collaborative working environment, encouraging interactions among team members, including PhD students, staff members, and principal investigator.

• You are an enthusiastic and highly motivated researcher.
• You have, or will shortly, acquire a master degree in the field of Biomedical Engineering or Technical Medicine.
• You enjoy conducting in vitro research in the laboratory.
• You have a multidisciplinary mindset and you are eager to work across different disciplines.
• You have a good team spirit and like to work in an internationally oriented environment.
• You are proficient in English.

• A full-time position for four years, with a qualifier in the first year.
• Your salary and associated conditions are in accordance with the collective labour agreement for Dutch universities (CAO-NU).
• You will receive a gross monthly salary ranging from € 2770,- (first year) to € 3539,- (fourth year).
• There are excellent benefits including a holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary, an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%, and a solid pension scheme.
• A minimum of 232 leave hours in case of full-time employment based on a formal workweek of 38 hours. A full-time employment in practice means 40 hours a week, therefore resulting in 96 extra leave hours on an annual basis.
• Free access to sports facilities on campus.
• A family-friendly institution that offers parental leave (both paid and unpaid).
• You will have a training programme as part of the Twente Graduate School where you and your supervisors will determine a plan for a suitable education and supervision.