The use of extracorporeal cardiac and/or pulmonary support systems, collectively referred to as Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation or ECMO systems, is steadily increasing against the background of an aging population and the current Covid-19 pandemics. Several studies revealed that a positive outcome of ECMO patients is closely related to the number of ECMO runs in the respective medical center.

The aim of the EduECMO project is to develop a high-fidelity cannulation trainer to model both the insertion of the cannulae and the circulatory response. This will on one hand allow identification of appropriate cannulation options prior to preclinical testing instead of testing them in animals. On the other hand this device will allow physicians to practice before actual patient care and to hemodynamically study the interaction of the ECMO system and the cannulation mode with the circulation in different combinations and settings, thus reducing acute animal experiments and increasing positive outcome for the patients due to the higher training level of the operators.

We are therefore looking for a postdoc to reinforce our Engineering Organ Support Technologies team in the Department of Biomechanical Engineering. Together with (international) academic, medical simulation, and clinical partners, we seek to develop a high-fidelity ECMO simulator with you as postdoctoral researcher.

Are you ready to contribute in our international ECMO research team?

The challenge

• Optimize our realistic ECMO groin cannulation prototype with patient-specific variations
• Extend the vascular tract from the neck to the right heart and the groin for physical vascular access simulation
• Incorporate the physical EduECMO simulator into available cardio-respiratory physiology models and connect to heart and lung support devices. This will be based upon:
• Analyze our international ECMO training needs analysis dataset and incorporate in the simulator
• Generalize our novel simulator fidelity assessment framework into a generic framework together with master students
• Develop clinical scenarios together with our clinical partners, with opportunities for mixed reality enrichment

• You hold a PhD degree in Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Design Engineering or equivalent or are expected to finish your PhD soon
• You preferably have previous experience with design in biomedical engineering projects
• Creativity is in your skills set, and love to work on systems integration
• You discuss your ideas and results with peers from multiple domains, both verbally as in written text

We offer a position in our inspiring multidisciplinary environment as part of the Cardiac Surgery Innovations Lab at the Engineering Organ Support Technologies chair, a diverse team of heart – and lung support enthusiasts.

The Technical Medical (TechMed) Centre is a leading innovation hub making an impact on healthcare through research, innovation, and education. Equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure, including research laboratories, preclinical testbeds, and simulated hospital environments, the TechMed Centre drives technological advancements in healthcare.

Our dynamic and diverse ecosystem with the world-class TechMed Simulation Centre, modern blood lab facilities, and courses guide your continuous professional education.
Joint positions of our staff with Thorax Centrum Twente of Medisch Spectrum Twente offers active involvement of clinical experts.

We stimulate international dissemination on (inter)national conferences in simulation-based training and Extracorporeal Life Support (ECLS), like EuroELSO, SESAM, DSSH.

• We offer a 18 to 21 month (32 to 38 hours) Postdoc position
• You will be part of a team well-integrated into research and simulation in ECMO and collaborate extensively with clinical and medical simulation partners
• A gross salary between Filled by HR per month, depending on experience and qualifications.
• An annual holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary, and an annual year-end bonus of 8.3%.
• A solid pension scheme.
• Minimum of 29 leave days in case of full-time employment.
• Professional and personal development programs.
• The University of Twente is situated on a green and lively campus with lots of facilities for sports, culture and other extracurricular activities.