PhD position Biomedical engineer for drug-releasing hernia repair meshes
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Job Location:
St. Gallen - Switzerland
Monthly Salary:
Not Disclosed
Posted on:
23-10-2025
Vacancies:
1 Vacancy
Job Summary
Materials science and technology are our passion. With our cutting-edge research Empas around 1100 employees make essential contributions to the well-being of society for a future worth living. Empa is a research institution of the ETH Domain.
Our Laboratory for Advanced Fibers in St. Gallen develops functional polymer fibers for medical and technical applications. Together with partners at Bern University hospital and RWTH Aachen University we are pioneering a new generation of hernia repair meshes with built-in drug-delivery functionality. The goal is to reduce postoperative pain and prevent local infections by integrating melt-spun liquid-core fibers capable of controlled release of analgesics and antimicrobials.
Your tasks
- Develop liquid-core fibers loaded with pain-relieving and antimicrobial drugs
- Investigate diffusion behavior mechanical stability and stimuli-responsive functionality of fibers
- Fabricate and characterize hernia mesh prototypes including mechanical thermal and in-vitro/ex-vivo performance testing
- Collaborate closely with polymer scientists surgeons microbiologists and biomedical engineers
- Present your results in conferences and publish in peer-reviewed journals
- Prepare and defend a PhD thesis at RWTH Aachen University
Your profile
- Masters degree in biomedical engineering or related disciplines
- Strong interest in medical textiles biomaterials and drug-delivery systems
- Practical experience with polymer processing or biomedical testing is an advantage
- You enjoy interdisciplinary teamwork and are motivated to advance translational research at the interface of engineering and medicine
- Fluency in English; German is an asset
Our offer
We offer an international highly stimulating research environment with excellent infrastructure for polymer processing fiber fabrication and biomedical analysis. You will be based at Empa in St. Gallen (Dr. Edith Perret principal supervisor) and enrolled as a PhD student at RWTH Aachen University (Prof. Stefan Jockenhövel doctoral advisor). The expected duration is 4 years starting as soon as possible or upon mutual agreement.
We look forward to receiving your complete online application including a letter of motivation CV certificates diplomas and contact details of two reference persons. Please submit these exclusively via our job portal. Applications by e-mail and by post will not be considered.
SarahStüdli Bereichspersonalleiterin / HR Partner
Key Skills
- Design Controls
- Calibration
- FDA Regulations
- LabView
- Physiology Knowledge
- Military Experience
- Minitab
- Research Experience
- Medical Imaging
- Research & Development
- Plastics Injection Molding
- Optics
About Company
Materials science and technology are our passion. With our cutting-edge research, Empa's around 1,100 employees make essential contributions to the well-being of society for a future worth living. Empa is a research institution of the ETH Domain.
