Doctoral student in synthetic adhesives and bone scaffolds for fractures - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Project description

Third-cycle subject: Fibre and Polymer Technology

Complex bone fractures are traditionally stabilized by plates and screws. To establish minimally invasive methodologies for bone fixations the use of benign adhesives is foreseen to play a critical role in future orthopedic healthcare treatments. In this project, a complete adhesive and restorative solution to complicated fractures will be developed, including an injectable bone scaffold mixture for filling bone voids in the fracture and a light-curable adhesive patch for providing fixation and strength on top of the fracture.

This position, funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 initiative, will be part of the KTH team leading a pan-European consortium in the project BoneFix: A paradigm shift in fracture fixation via on-site fabrication of bone restoration patches. The candidate will report to project leader Prof. Michael Malkoch and project coordinator Dr. Daniel Hutchinson at the department of Fibre and Polymer Technology. They will focus on realizing bone restoration scaffolds and adhesive fixation patches from innovative synthetic building blocks that are able to efficiently crosslink into networks under surgical conditions via light initiation. The patches will be designed to cover a wide range of mechanical loadings and be programmed to degrade in vivo within desired timeframes. The candidate will work closely with researchers in the KTH team as well as collaborators from the other consortium partners who specialize in the evaluation of bone scaffold materials.

Supervision: The doctoral student will be supervised by Prof. Michael Malkoch and Dr. Daniel Hutchinson.

What we offer

• The possibility to study in a dynamic and international research environment in collaboration with industries and prominent universities from all over the world.Read more
• A workplace with many employee benefits and monthly salary according to KTH’s Doctoral student salary agreement.
• A postgraduate education at an institution that is active and supportive in matters pertaining to working conditions, gender equality and diversity as well as study environment.
• Work and study in Stockholm, close to nature and the water.
• Help to relocate and be settled in Sweden and at KTH.

Eligibility

To be admitted to postgraduate education (Chapter 7, 39 § Swedish Higher Education Ordinance), the applicant must have basic eligibility in accordance with either of the following:

• Passed a degree at advanced level, MS.c. degree in polymer science and engineering or similar areas
• Completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 higher education credits at advanced level, or
• In any other way acquired within or outside the country acquired essentially equivalent knowledge.
• Requirements for English equivalent to English B/6, read more here.
• Experience with NMR, SEC, MALDI-TOF, DSC, FT-RAMAN, Instron etc.
• Experience of Laboratory work.

Merits

• Experience with crosslinked networks from biopolymers constructed via RDRP, ROP, ROMP, dendrimer chemistry, click chemistry and light initiated crosslink chemistry.
• Previous work with bone scaffolds, pre-clinical assessment of bone restoration and/or fixation materials, and education within biomaterials and nanomedicine.

Selection

In order to succeed as a doctoral student at KTH you need to be goal oriented and persevering in your work. You should be structured and creative, have an engineering mindset, be able to work independently and critically analyze information, meet agreed deadlines, and have good communication and cooperation skills.

After the qualification requirements, great emphasis will be placed on personal qualities and personal suitability.

Target degree: Doctoral degree

Information regarding admission and employment

Only those admitted to postgraduate education may be employed as a doctoral student. The total length of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education in four years ' time. An employed doctoral student can, to a limited extent (maximum 20%), perform certain tasks within their role, e.g. training and administration. A new position as a doctoral student is for a maximum of one year, and then the employment may be renewed for a maximum of two years at a time.

Union representatives

You will find contact information for union representatives on KTH's website.

Doctoral section (Students’ union on KTH Royal Institute of Technology)

You will find contact information for doctoral section on the section's website.

Application

Apply for the position and admission through KTH's recruitment system. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the advertisement.

Applications must be received at the last closing date at midnight, CET/CEST (Central European Time/entral European Summer Time).

Applications must include the following elements:

• CV including your relevant professional experience and knowledge.
• Application letter with a brief description of why you want to pursue research studies, about what your academic interests are and how they relate to your previous studies and future goals. (Maximum 2 pages long)
• Copies of diplomas and grades from previous university studies and certificates of fulfilled language requirements (see above). Translations into English or Swedish if the original document is not issued in one of these languages.
• Representative publications or technical reports. For longer documents, please provide a summary (abstract) and a web link to the full text.

Other information

Gender equality, diversity and zero tolerance against discrimination and harassment are important aspects of KTH's work with quality as well as core values in our organization.

For information about processing of personal data in the recruitment process please read here.

We firmly decline all contact with staffing and recruitment agencies and job ad salespersons.

Disclaimer: In case of discrepancy between the Swedish original and the English translation of the job announcement, the Swedish version takes precedence.