PhD in Patient-specific estimation of local variation of intraluminal thrombus properties in AAAs

• Are you fascinated by cardiovascular biomechanics and its application to medical decision support?
• Are you eager to be trained to develop multi-level thrombosis risk prediction models by integrating cell-, thrombus-, and organ-level insights?
• Are you passionate about being part of a prestigious MSCA doctoral network working on revolutionizing personalized medicine through cutting-edge in silico, in vitro, and in vivo technologies to understand, predict and treat thrombosis?

Information
At the faculty of Biomedical Engineering at Eindhoven University of Technology, a PhD-position is available within the Thromborisk project, a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Network funded by the EU. The position is open for appointment during the course of 2026-2030, with a duration of 48 months hosted by TU/e, and includes secondments at the partner institutes within the consortium for a cumulative period of 12 months.

As a doctoral candidate (DC), you will be embedded in the Photoacoustics and Ultrasound Laboratory (PULS/e), a multidisciplinary and international team working on cutting-edge ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging technologies, image reconstruction, and model-based interpretation. Within this dynamic environment, you will collaborate closely with partners in the ThromboRisk Doctoral Network, participate in secondments at leading research institutes, and supervise BSc/MSc students on related projects.

Your main challenge will be to develop ultrasound-based methods to estimate patient-specific, spatially varying mechanical properties of intraluminal thrombus in abdominal aortic aneurysms. This involves combining advanced imaging techniques with biomechanical modeling to improve rupture risk prediction and support personalized clinical decision-making.

This position offers the opportunity to contribute to research with high societal impact: improving patient outcomes and reducing adverse events through better aneurysm risk assessment.

Research Programme Description
ThromboRisk – European Doctoral Network From cells to systems: Pioneering multi-level thrombosis risk prediction models consortium is funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No. 101227706. It groups 10 hiring universities: Eindhoven University of Technology (NL), University of Maastricht (NL), University of Amsterdam (NL), Catholic University Leuven (BE), Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (DE), University College London (UK), Transsilvania University of Brasov (RO), SANO Centre for Computational Personalized Medicine (PL), University of Leeds (UK), and University of Bern (CH).

ThromboRisk will develop an integrated platform to advance our understanding of thrombosis across biological scales, combining mechanobiology, biochemistry, pathophysiology, and computational modelling. For this inclusion to occur, each DC will develop through their research a unique contribution to the multi-level thrombosis risk prediction framework, addressing specific aspects of thrombus formation, growth, rupture, and clinical impact. This hands-on training is supplemented with several scientific professional courses and an immersive training program where the DCs can fine-tune their skills for the jobs of tomorrow, while addressing the societal challenges of the ThromboRisk program.

We are looking for a candidate who meets the following requirements:

• You are creative and ambitious, hard-working, and persistent.
• You have a MSc degree in Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or any other relevant program.
• You have theoretical and applied knowledge or interest in biomechanical and numerical modelling, and preferably also AI.
• You have a research-oriented attitude
• You have good communicative skills, and the attitude to partake successfully in the work of a research team.
• You have the ability to work in an interdisciplinary team and interested in collaborating with industrial partners.
• You are motivated to develop your teaching skills and coach students.
• You have a good command of the English language (Spoken and Written, Proficiency C1).

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.
• 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. € 3,059 - max. € 3,881).
• A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%.
• 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, on-campus children's day care and sports facilities.
• An allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs.
• A Staff Immigration Team and a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) for international candidates.

Do you recognize yourself in this profile and would you like to know more? Please contact the hiring manager Prof. Richard Lopata (r.lopata@tue.nl).

Visit our website for more information about the application process or the conditions of employment. You can also contact Sascha Sanchez van Oort, HR Advisor, s.j.m.g.sanchez.van.oort@tue.nl.

Curious to hear more about what it’s like as a PhD candidate at TU/e? Please view the video.

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