As part of the ERC Starting grant project BuBble Gun, we are looking to fill  one post-doc position (2 years).

The needle-free delivery of liquid jets into soft and heterogeneous substrates, e.g. human tissue, has been hindered by the need to reach specific penetration depths with energy efficient means, by the break-up of jets that impedes control over the dose delivery, and by liquid splash-back after impacting the substrate that causes cross-contamination between injections. BuBble Gun aims at overcoming these challenges.
BuBble gun will advance scientific knowledge at the intersection of microfluidics, physics, and bioengineering, to enable unprecedented physical understanding and control over cavitation, jetting, and injection phenomena. We will develop a portable energy-efficient injection platform by using ultra-high-speed imaging, and quantifying injections with experimental resolutions below the microsecond and micrometer scales. The rheological properties of the jets will be tuned with biocompatible additives to ensure cohesion, before injecting them into in-vitro targets and ex-vivo skin. Numerical models will assist in untangling the influence of microfluidic configuration and material properties on the injection outcome.

The research group The Mesoscale Chemical Systems is part of the MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, and of the Technical Medical (TechMed) Centre. The group has unique expertise in micro and nanofabrication, backed by the outstanding experimental facilities of MESA+ NanoLab. The research and valorization activities of the group encompass microfluidics, ultrasound technologies, electrochemistry and bioengineering. MCS offers a rich, multidisciplinary and very international (over a 12 nationalities) environment where experimental physics, advanced chemical processes and simulation work are applied to solve relevant societal problems, as well as curiosity-driven research. The group is in embedded within an international network and promotes international collaboration and exchanges. In particular, this project will be in collaboration with the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT, and the School of Medicine in Harvard, USA.

The main activities will be on the design and construction of the experimental setup that will be used by the three PhD students working on this project. This setup will shed light on the physicochemical mechanisms related to thermocavitation-driven jet injections with a platform for other scientific uses. As an experienced researcher, you will assist the PhD candidates and actively participate in the dissemination of the scientific results of the team.

• You hold a PhD degree in a related topic: physics, (bio)mechanical engineering, microfabrication
• Ample experience in experimental techniques of fluid dynamics and preferentially in ultra-fast imaging
• Able to function effectively within a multidisciplinary team, and handle a high degree of professional autonomy
• You are expected to perform research of high quality, help in coordinating between partners (researchers and industry) contributing to the success of the project
• Excellent language skills in English
• Entrepreneurial, innovative and result-focused

Information and application
An interview with a scientific presentation will be part of the interview process.
For more information please contact  Assistant Professor Dr. David Fernandez Rivas (d.fernandezrivas@utwente.nl)
Principal Investigator, Mesoscale Chemical Systems Group, Faculty of Science and Technology TNW, University of Twente. https://www.utwente.nl/en/tnw/mcs/people/academic_staff/david_fernandez_rivas/

Deadline for applications is set to 24-01-2020. Please use the link below to apply.

As a Postdoc you will be offered a full-time (38 hours/week) position for 18 months.
Salary and conditions will be in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement (CAO) of the Dutch Universities.
Gross monthly salary depends on experience and qualifications and ranges from € 3255,- to € 4274,-.
Additionally, the University of Twente provides excellent facilities for professional and personal development, a holiday allowance (amounts to 8%), an end-of-year bonus (amounts to 8,3%) and a number of additional benefits.

The University of Twente. We stand for life sciences and technology. High tech and human touch. Education and research that matter. New technology which drives change, innovation and progress in society. The University of Twente is the only campus university in the Netherlands; divided over five faculties we provide more than fifty educational programmes. The University of Twente has a strong focus on personal development and talented researchers are given scope for carrying out pioneering research.

Within the TNW Faculty (Faculty of Science & Technology) of the University of Twente some 700 staff members and 2000 students are involved in training and research on the interface of chemical technology, applied physics and biomedical technology. Fields of application include sustainable energy, process technology and materials science, nanotechnology and technical medicine. Research, which enjoys a high profile both at home and internationally, has been accommodated in the multidisciplinary research institutes MESA+ and MIRA. The faculty works together intensively with industrial partners and researchers in the Netherlands and abroad and conducts extensive research for external commissioning parties and funders.