Postdoc Data- and Physics-based Identification of Soft Tissue Mechanics

It is widely recognized that unbalanced deformation and loading of cardiovascular tissues leads to pathological growth and remodeling processes. Therefore, quantification of the tissue’s in vivo stress state holds important clinical diagnostic and prognostic opportunities in the management of cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, data sparsity, parameter uncertainty, and the highly nonlinear and anisotropic behavior of these tissues pose significant challenges to the accurate identification of the in vivo stress state. In this project, you will explore inverse data-driven and physics-based approaches and integrate multi-modal and multi-fidelity biomechanics tissue testing data to advance insights into the ex vivo and in vivo mechanical behavior of various cardiovascular tissues.
As a postdoctoral researcher, you will help us design and run research line involving collaboration with PhD and MSc students. You will develop novel data-driven and physics-based modeling techniques, conduct and analyze experimental studies, write scientific articles, present your work at (inter)national conferences, and support educational activities. You will also receive mentorship support towards building an academic or industrial career following the postdoc tenure.
The research will be conducted in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) under the joint supervision of Dr. Mathias Peirlinck (Dept. of BioMechanical Engineering) and Dr. Sid Kumar (Dept. of Material Science and Engineering). More information on both groups can be found at https://peirlincklab.com and https://www.mech-mat.com/. We offer a 15-month contract and will support you in the preparation and acquisition of follow-up funding. 
 

Requirements:

• You are a highly independent, motivated, and innovative individual who likes to solve complex problems and can efficiently work in a highly multidisciplinary team.
• You have, or are about to acquire, a Ph.D. in biomechanics, solid mechanics, mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, or other related fields.
• You have excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• You have a strong background in linear and tensor algebra, non-linear mechanics, advanced finite element analysis, computational solid mechanics, high-performance computing, data-driven approaches, and physics-informed machine learning.
• You have excellent spoken and written English language skills*, and demonstrable collaborative, communicative and organizational competences.
• Affinity with inverse problems, optimization technical, experimental tissue testing, and/or soft tissue biomechanics is a plus.

Please highlight your specific skills and relevant prior experiences for this position explicitly in your motivation letter. Motivation letters that do not address any of these requirements will not be considered.

Salary Benefits:

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.
For international applicants, TU Delft has the Coming to Delft Service. This service provides information for new international employees to help you prepare the relocation and to settle in the Netherlands. The Coming to Delft Service offers a Dual Career Programme for partners and they organise events to expand your (social) network.

36 - 40 hours per week

Mekelweg 2