Naturwissenschaftlicher Doktorand / PhD position (m/f/d)

Your tasks:

The AG Engel looks for a PhD candidate (65%, starting around the 1^st of July 2026). The PhD position is integrated in a DFG-funded consortium (see below). The person will mainly work with hiPSC-cardiomyocytes and -endothelial cells. Goal is the biofabrication of a vascularized functional human heart ventricle model with acellular heart valves. Your task is 1) to optimize materials to enhance vascularization, 2) to establish 3D printing technologies to integrate a main vasculature into a human heart ventricle model, 3) to establish a microfluidic system to test bioinks for their suitability for hiPSC-cardiomyocytes and -endothelial cells. 4) to establish systems to determine function of the ventricle model.
The hired candidate will be supported by 2 postdocs, 2 PhD students and 2 technicians who all work on related projects.

Comments:

This position is part of the CRC/TRR225. The Collaborative Research Centre/Transregio CRC/TRR 225 “From the Fundamentals of Biofabrication towards Functional Tissue Models” is an interdisciplinary research consortium of the Universities of Würzburg, Bayreuth, and Erlangen-Nürnberg. The TRR225 aims to develop innovative biofabrication strategies - particularly automated 3D printing technologies - for processing living cells and biomaterials into complex tissue constructs. These advanced in vitro models provide new opportunities for pharmaceutical, cancer, and infection research, support the reduction of animal testing and offer long-term perspectives for regenerative medicine. Since its establishment in 2018, the consortium has achieved substantial scientific progress and international visibility and will enter its third funding period in 2026. The advertised position is part of the subproject C01, which focuses on the biofabrication of vascularized heart substitute tissues based on bioinks from spider silk proteins. This project will address the following work packages: 1) Establishing and optimization of 3D bioprinting procedures of silk/collagen-I composite gels and elucidating matrix remodeling 2) Vascularization of cardiac constructs 3) Optimization of ventricle-like heart constructs and integration of heart valves

Essential experience/qualifications:

• Diploma or Master's degree in Tissue Engineering, Material Science, Biology, Chemistry, Molecular Medicine or equivalent
• English language skills
• highly motivated and reliable
• working well in a team

Additionally beneficial are:

Experience in: hiPSC culture and differentiation cell culture in general tissue engineering/biofabrication microfluidics vascularization publishing In addition, some German language skills would be helpful but not necessary (the lab is international).