About the Project
SPINNER is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Innovative Training Networks (ITN) European Industrial Doctorate (EID) aimed at improving treatments for spine disorders.
SPINNER is recruiting a group of six Bioengineering early stage researchers (ESRs) to be in a position to design the next generation of repair materials and techniques for spine surgery. The project brings together partners from the biomaterials, implantable devices, and computational modelling industries with orthopaedic clinicians and academic experts in cell, tissue and organ scale biomaterials and medical device testing. All projects will be fully grounded in practical industrial and clinical requirements, where the number of patients requiring complex spine surgery is rapidly expanding, and the biomedical engineering industry needs suitably trained, innovators to produce economic solutions to support healthy ageing for the people of Europe.
SPINNER is an academic/ clinical/ industrial partnership and the ESRs will be expected to interact with several partners during their three years of research. The partners are:
University of Sheffield, UK
University of Bologna, Italy
Finceramica, Italy
National Center for Spinal Disorders, Hungary
Ansys, France
ADAGOS, France
Aesculap, Germany
For more information, please visit www.spinner-eid.eu.
The ESRs will be recruited for 36 months and be enrolled onto a PhD programme at one of the academic partner institutions. They will expect to spend at least 18 months at a non-academic partner institution.
ESR3: Integration of clinical experience and in vitro biomechanical testing to improve spinal augmentation
Start Date: 01-November-2018
Host institution: University of Bologna, Italy
This ESR will join the PhD program Health and Technology, an interdisciplinary collaboration bridging the medical and the engineering departments of the University of Bologna, and will be affiliated with the Department of Industrial Engineering.
Industrial Secondment: National Center for Spinal Disorders, Hungary
Objectives: To develop understanding of the failure mechanism of augmented spine segments, focusing both on the vertebrae subjected to vertebroplasty, and adjacent ones.
Required Skills: This ESR should have or be close to obtaining (by 31 July 2018) a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Bioengineering, Materials Science, or a related discipline. Only applicants with a University degree that would allow them to join a PhD program in Italy or in UK can apply, i.e. a University Degree of 3+1 or 3+2 years, or a similar combined degree consisting of a Bachelor followed by a Master corresponding to a total of 4 or more years of legal duration, or a single degree of 4 of more years can apply for admission. Knowledge of biomechanics, orthopaedics and mechanics of materials and structures is essential. Additionally, experience in mechanical testing, biomaterials, and with clinical environments desirable.
Acquired skills: This ESR will specialise on the problems related to vertebroplasty, kyphoplasty and vertebral augmentation. During the first phase, the ESR will become familiar with the clinical environment, and learn the clinical problems related to vertebroplasty. This will include patients with osteoporotic fractures and metastatic lesions. During the second phase, the ESR will learn (in synergy with ESR3) how to develop dedicated biomechanical testing with a focus on vertebroplastic technique.
Employability: The expertise that this ESR will gain will make him/her employable in industries developing regenerative materials, and in test labs.
Informal enquiries: Luca Cristofolini ([Email Address Removed]) or Áron Lazáry ([Email Address Removed]).
Language requirements: You do not have an Italian language requirement, the working language of the laboratory is English. Reasonable English is required, which will be assessed at interview.
Funding Notes
The following eligibility criteria apply for these positions:
Mobility: To be eligible for a position, you must not have resided in the same country as the host institution for more than 12 months over the three years leading up to the start date of the position, excluding holidays and (refugee status) asylum application.
Early Stage Researcher: An Early Stage Researcher (ESR) shall at the time of recruitment by the host organisation, be in the first four years (full-time equivalent research experience) of their research careers and have not been awarded a doctoral degree.