Postdoc position in microbubbles for ultrasound molecular imaging

You will join an interdisciplinary research project in molecular ultrasound imaging using functionalized, monodisperse microbubbles. The project aims to understand how the acoustic response of microbubbles changes upon molecular binding to capillary blood vessel walls, how this response differs from that of freely circulating bubbles in confined vessel-like environments and in unbounded liquid, and how microbubbles can be designed to maximise the change in acoustic response upon binding. The long-term objective is to enable acoustic discrimination between bound and non-bound microbubbles through the combined design of microbubbles and ultrasound imaging sequences.

You will design, fabricate, and characterize viscoelastic capillary phantoms with controlled sizes and configurations using hydrogel-based materials and cleanroom microfabrication technologies. You will perform acoustic scattering and attenuation measurements and develop ultrasound imaging and characterization strategies using a Verasonics NXT fully programmable research ultrasound imaging system. The work requires strong hands-on experimental skills, creativity in experimental design, and an interest in combining microfluidics, acoustics, and ultrasound imaging.

You will be embedded in the BIOS/Lab on a Chip group at the University of Twente, part of the Max Planck Center Twente for Complex Fluid Dynamics, the J.M. Burgers Research Center for Fluid Mechanics, and the MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology. You will work in a multidisciplinary research environment with close interaction with leading scientists in the field. You will be part of a focused sub-group working on microbubble physics and will contribute to the guidance and supervision of PhD students involved in microbubble production, functionalization, physical modeling, and ultrasound imaging. The group offers a collegial and international working environment, with active social interaction among colleagues.