As a biofabrication technician you will be involved in a versatile range of tasks ranging from hands-on experimental work to keeping the laboratory and facilities organized and running smoothly.

Together with our cell culture technician and our multi-disciplinary team of experts, you will plan and execute the biofabrication workflow processes and make sure it meets the criteria and improves where possible. A significant part of your role will be hands-on work in our facility. You will operate the different type of advanced manufacturing machinery and perform the necessary sampling and testing for them to fabricate tissue constructs. This position requires experience in literature research, effective experimentation, thorough analysis, and comprehensive presentation of your results. Hence, thinking critically, being organized, and being able to multi-task are essential competences for being successful in this role. Moreover, you will be responsible for the maintenance of the biofabrication equipment and the batch processing of polymer synthesis and dialysis.

As the majority of the projects are cross functional collaborative projects with either academic or commercial clients and the different ICAT hubs, it is important that you are a team player and have strong communication skills. In addition, as the biofabrication HUB in the ICAT is a young facility, the initial period of optimization will also involve setting up the infrastructure of the biofabrication center and the SOP documentation. This provides you with the unique opportunity to be part of the establishment of this center, and it also offers you the freedom to shape your position further over time. If you are somebody that is not afraid to take on the responsibility and ownership over the initiation and structuration of these processes, than this role might suit you well.

Tasks:

• Involved in a variety of advanced bioprinting technologies aiming for applications in the field of regenerative medicine
• Monitor and maintain the performance of different bioprinters
• Prepare and optimize bioink (synthesis/dialysis) composition for reliable and consistent bioprinting
• Biomechanical testing
• Report and review all required process steps in approved batch records
• Participate in the follow-up of protocol optimizations
• Generation and review of manufacturing procedures
• Organization and preparation of standard operating protocols (SOPs)
• Quality control and maintenance of the experimental lab equipment and reagents
• Takes responsibility for the organization and tidiness of the laboratory
• Responsible for the training and education of upcoming internship students on the bioprinters and other equipment

We are looking for a structured and pragmatic biofabrication technician who is creative, assertive and has a critical attitude. You are autonomous and feel comfortable taking the lead in the maintenance of bioprinters and overseeing their use by the other lab members. As such, you like to take ownership of the projects and are organized and precise.

You also have:

• A Master of Science or a Higher Laboratory Education (HLO) in the engineering field, preferably in the direction of advanced manufacturing or biomedical engineering/chemistry, with 2 or 3 years of experience.
• Experience with drafting experimental projects and carrying them out independently 
• Experience with advanced manufacturing, preferably under GMP or cleanroom environment (not a must)
• Knowledge and hands-on experience with biomechanical testing of biomaterials and/or tissue constructs
• Proven proficiency in CAD software and G-code
• Proven proficiency in written and spoken English

 As a multidiscipline center, ICAT creates diverse opportunities for career development within our facility supported by a versatile team of technical experts in their fields. This also opens a networking channel to other academic institutes and companies that are in collaboration with ICAT.

We offer a full-time position, where the initial contract will be for a period of one year, which could be extended upon successful assessment. In addition we offer an annual benefit of 8.3%, holiday allowance, travel expenses and career opportunities. The terms of employment are in accordance with the Cao University Medical Centers (UMC).

If you would like more information about ICAT, take a look here and here.

The maximum salary for this position (32 - 36 hours) is € 3.787,00 gross per month based on full-time employment.

In addition, we offer an annual benefit of 8.3%, holiday allowance, travel expenses and career opportunities. The terms of employment are in accordance with the Cao University Medical Centers (UMC).

Innovation center for advanced therapies (ICAT).

The regional infrastructure of the Utrecht Science Park is being expanded with an innovation center for advanced therapies (ICAT). This center is part of the Regenerative medicine (RegMed XB) Pilot Plant and has recently been funded by the National Growth Fund.

The ICAT consists of three facilities; a Biofabrication innovation facility, a GMP simulation facility and a GMP production facility. The aim of ICAT is to facilitate the collaboration between fundamental and translational researchers, GMP experts and clinicians. This corporation will boost the translation from promising innovative research lines into therapeutic applications or into a clinical production process.

The biofabrication facility serves as a platform in which innovations in the field of biofabrication are implemented and utilized. You will be working on several projects in parallel in close collaboration with the other sub-facilities and commercial partners. We for example focus on combining state-of-art technologies with the fundamental strategy of integrating biofabrication, cells and biomaterials into biologically functional constructs. The three facilities have all the infrastructure and state-of-art equipment to products for patients in UMC Utrecht and other hospitals in the Netherlands. In addition, ICAT is a unique center where academic and commercial partners meet and where the next generation of professionals will be trained.