Biomedical Research Scientist

Role Description:

The Research Scientist will contribute to the development of clinically led, materials oriented solutions to key healthcare issues, particularly in the cardiac and vascular field, at the Department of Digital Design and Processing in the Institute of Active Polymers at Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon. The successful candidate will work closely with colleagues at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, developing experimentally validated Digital Twins to provide doctors and patients with better implants and improved clinical outcomes.

Key Responsibilities:

• Development of Digital Twins of materials and implants with support from colleagues and external partners.
• Development of computational models of cardiac devices in the field of minimally invasive cardiac implants using Finite Element software (ABAQUS or Ansys with user-defined materials and subroutines).
• Development of computational models of materials and multifunctional materials (e.g. polymers, bioresorbable polymers, piezoelectric polymers).
• Multiscale and cross-scale materials modelling in cooperation with colleagues from the Zentrum.
• Fabrication and processing of multifunctional materials (3D printing, electrospinning, bioprinting, extrusion, casting).
• Identifying existing standards for development and testing of materials and devices, and developing testing protocols accordingly.
• Preparing experimental testing protocols and reports according to existing norms in agreement with regulatory approval guidelines.
• Characterisation of material properties, including mechanical testing, structural, chemical, thermal, electrical, and piezoelectric characterisation methods.
• Validation of computational models with experimentally obtained data.
• Supporting design of cardiac implants using developed models (materials and geometry optimisation).
• Preparation of invention disclosures and patents describing the developed and conceived inventions.
• Procurement of follow-up funding by participating in the preparation of grant applications and their submission.
• Participation in scientific conferences in the field, trade fairs, and conventions.
• Supervision of master students, interns, and mentoring of PhD students.
• Research and analysis of existing literature in the relevant field.
• Analysis of existing IP in the field.
• Preparation of scientific and business presentations for conferences, meetings, and presentations.
• Communication with companies, universities, and institutions for cooperation and joint work.
• Procurement of materials and consumables to realise the designated tasks.
• Participation in group, institute, and company meetings.
• Participation in meetings with partners and subcontractors related to the engineering tasks.
• Participation in trainings and learning programmes.
• Preparation of documentation describing in detail the developed models, experimental protocols, and fabricated devices.
• Preparation of progress reports.
• Training interns, employees, and technicians to use the developed models and experimental protocols.

Requirements:

• Completed master's degree and doctoral studies in biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering, biofabrication, materials science, computational modelling, or other relevant fields.
• Expertise in Finite Element software (ABAQUS or Ansys), structural models development with implementation of advanced materials models.
• Experience in independent scientific work.
• Experience in experimental characterisation of materials.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English.
• Excellent scientific writing and presentation skills.
• Publications track record in the relevant field.
• Nice to have experience in modelling of degradable polymers, modelling of piezoelectric materials, multi-scale modelling, biofabrication, additive manufacturing, characterisation of mechanical properties of materials, characterisation of piezoelectric properties of materials, characterisation of electrical properties of materials, microscopy and spectroscopy methods for materials characterisation, chemical and thermal characterisation of materials, investigations of material – cells interactions, knowledge of IP protection and patent application process, experience in working with medical devices, experience in prototyping of medical devices, knowledge of testing protocols for medical devices with electronics within EU and FDA regulations.