Postdoctoral Fellow in Microneedle Engineering for Wearable Healthcare Devices

We are seeking a highly motivated and skilled Postdoctoral Fellow in Microneedle Engineering for Wearable Healthcare Devices to join our dynamic and interdisciplinary research team. The successful candidate will design and test microneedle concepts for the continuous extraction of interstitial fluid with wearable devices for medical diagnostics and therapeutic monitoring.

Wearable technologies that analyze non-conventional biological matrices, such as interstitial fluid, promise longitudinal biomarker data with minimal invasiveness. These provide insights into physiological and behavioral patterns, in particular outside of medical care facilities. A key bottle neck remains the minimally invasive and continuous extraction of sufficient quantities of interstitial fluid. This PostDoc position aims to (1) design and manufacture microneedles following up on our previous development (Cell Biomaterials, Volume 1, Issue 1, 100008), and (2) investigate the penetration of skin tissue to assess invasivness and interstitial fluid extraction efficiency. It will be embedded in a consortial effort bringing together engineering and medical expertise from ETH Zürich, University Zürich and Sao Paulo University.

• Additive manufacturing of microneedles based on biocompatible materials
• Mechanical stability, skin penetration analysis and assessment of host matrix effects
• Demonstration of IF extraction over prolonged periods
• Collaborate closely with interdisciplinary team, including biosensor developers and clinical partners
• Prepare manuscripts, reports, and presentations to disseminate findings

Qualification

• PhD in mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, materials science or closely related field
• Experience in microneedle fabrication (e.g., by 3D printing), microfluidics and their characterization
• Demonstrate ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills (proficiency in English)
• Ability to mentor student projects

Preferred Qualification

• Experience with tissue characterization techniques

• Opportunities to engage with different communities bridging materials/chemical/mechanical and biomedical research leading to high impact publications
• You will be part of a highly motivated, multidisciplinary and collaborative team
• We will support your scientific career and application for postdoctoral fellowships on your path towards scientific leadership
• You will have flexibility to develop your own line of research within the framework of this project
• We encourage the attendance of relevant (inter-) national conferences to increase your visibility and present the project outcomes
• You will be involved in the supervision of junior researchers and teaching in the lab
• Access to state-of-the-art computational resources and collaborative research networks