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Doctoral Candidate (PhD student) in Microfluidic Bioengineer (m/f)

· Fixed-term employment 3 years, 40h/week
· Student status (start date: as soon as possible)
· Ref. I1R-SBG-COM-130000

Area: Automated microfluidic cell culture and microscopic observation of human neurons

Role:
· You will be responsible for automation of existing protocols for microfluidic cell culture of human induced pluripotent stem cell derived neurons, e.g., our recent paper in Lab on a Chip (doi:10.1039/c5lc00180c).
· You will be responsible to apply engineering concepts to develop novel, robust and high fidelity automated microfluidic cell culture.
· Automation shall be implemented within a microfluidic cell culture observatory, comprising automatable liquid handlers, incubators, microscopes and a four axis gantry robot – a novel modular concept currently being constructed at Fraunhofer Institute for Process Automation, Stuttgart.
· Specifically, numerical implementation of proposed algorithms involving a sequence of parametric, sparsely constrained, smooth, large-scale convex optimization problems.

Profile:
· An undergraduate degree in engineering, computer science, physics or a related discipline.
· An MSc in microsystems engineering, mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, mechatronics, or a related discipline.
· Demonstrable experience of software development for mechatronic systems.
· No knowledge of cell culture is expected and training in cell culture will be provided so a willingness to develop proficiency at the interface between microfluidics and in vitro cell culture is essential.
· Excellent written English is essential.

Offer:
· A fully funded position with a very competitive salary.
· An opportunity to join the Systems Biochemistry Group within the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine with an international and interdisciplinary ethos.
· An opportunity to participate in an established, productive and interdisciplinary collaboration led by:
o Ronan M.T. Fleming, Systems Biochemistry Group, Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine
o Jens Schwamborn, Cellular and Developmental Biology Group, Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine
o Tobias Brode, Fraunhofer Institute for Process Automation, Stuttgart.
· Training in development of software for laboratory automation, compliant with existing interoperability standards (http://www.sila-standard.org) shall be provided at the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Automation, Stuttgart
· Training in stem cell biology shall be provided at the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine.

The University of Luxembourg is an equal opportunity employer.

Further Information
Informal enquiries may be made to:
Dr. Ronan M.T. Fleming,
Systems Biochemistry Group,
Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine.
www.uni.lu/lcsb/research/systems_biochemistry

Applications (in English) should contain the following documents:
· A detailed curriculum vitae
· Cover letter mentioning the reference number
· List of publications
· Description of past research experience and how future interests complement the proposed role
· Name and addresses of three referees

Please apply online until 25th August 2015 via the following link: http://emea3.mrted.ly/rdf1…

Don't forget to mention Naturejobs when applying.

Job details

Employer:University of Luxembourg / LCSB

Website:http://uni.lu

Location:Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg

Expires:August 25, 2015

Job type:PhD Studentship

Salary:Unspecified

Qualifications:Postgraduate - Master's degree

Employment type:Unspecified

Job hours:Unspecified