Materials science and technology are our passion. With cutting-edge research, Empa's around 1,100 employees make essential contributions to the well-being of society for a future worth living. This position is part of the Marie Curie Doctoral Network on Soft Active Matter Microrobots for Medicine (SAM3), which aims to explore the ear-nose-throat area from a microrobotics perspective using active matter and small-scale microrobotics engineering. The project targets three specific goals: accessing the middle ear through the Eustachian tube, accessing the olfactory clefts for mucosal biopsy, and accessing the skull cavity through the nose and the cribble plate for cerebrospinal fluid biopsy.
Tasks
- Design, synthesize, and perform multiscale characterization of materials for soft robotics applications, with applications in all three endoscopic areas.
- Computationally design using a simulation-guided approach and synthesize via light-based 3D-printing architecture (meta)materials for medical soft robotics applications.
- Characterize the morphology, microstructure, and mechanical behaviour of metamaterials for soft robotics applications as a function of environmental and boundary conditions to identify structure-property-function relationships.
- Develop functional architectured material designs and synthesis routes via 3D printing for medical soft robotic applications.
- Set up characterization methods for probing mechanical behaviour of active and passive materials for soft robotics applications under various boundary conditions (variable strain rate, relative humidity, etc.).
- Conduct multiscale characterization of materials and systems developed in the SAM3 project in terms of process-structure-mechanical property-function relationships.
- Participate in academic stays at ULB (Bruxelles, Belgium) for the design of metamaterials, at UMONS (Mons, Belgium) for the synthesis of soft robotics materials, and an industrial secondment at Alemnis AG (Thun, Switzerland) for micromechanical testing of metamaterial structures.
Requirements
- Master degree or diploma in materials science, mechanical engineering, or similar.
- Less than 5 years of career at the recruitment date and not holding a doctoral degree.
- Solid background in mechanics of materials and simulations.
- Experience with material characterization using electron microscopy, nanoindentation, or other methods, and light-based 3D printing is an advantage.
- Strong motivation for research, curiosity, commitment, teamwork spirit, and openness to discussions with colleagues.
- Skills in science, modelling, experiments, writing, and communication.
- Good command of spoken and written English.
- German or French skills are an asset.
Benefits
- Duration: 3 years full time.
- Starting date: From October 2026.
- Innovative, sustainable, meaningful activities.
- Creating added value for society.
- International, multicultural working environment.
- Freedom to create and develop.
- Culture of inclusion and respect.
- Excellent balance between different areas of life.
- Multiple award-winning and certified employer.
- Benefits for rail, mobile, childcare, catering, etc.
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Über uns
Das Team
The main research lab is the Laboratory for High Performance Ceramics of Empa in Dübendorf, Switzerland, equipped with facilities for design, manufacturing, and metamaterial characterization. The PhD student will be jointly supervised by Dr. Jakob Schwiedrzik (Empa, Dübendorf) and Prof. Johann Michler (EPFL and Empa, Thun), and will collaborate within an international doctoral network.