Research Associate / Senior Research Associate in Tissue Engineering

The role

A Postdoctoral Researcher (PDRA) position in tissue engineering for artificial muscle integration is available to support the activities of the University of Bristol and Bristol Robotics Laboratory on the £7 million ($9.6 million / €7.9 million) EPSRC-funded project emPOWER: in-body artificial muscles for physical augmentation, function restoration, patient empowerment and future healthcare . This project will develop soft robotic, smart materials and bio-interfacing technologies for implantable artificial muscles. It will target critical global healthcare needs including stroke rehabilitation, reversing age-related frailty and sarcopenia and restoration of body functions which have been affected by muscle dysfunction. The project will run for five years in the first instance from March 2021 and the PDRA position is available for the full five-year length of the project.

We are looking for world-class researchers with a high degree of innovative spirit and enthusiasm to operate at the very cutting edge of robotics and healthcare research. You will join a vibrant and exciting research project led by the University of Bristol with partners University College London, Imperial College London and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals and will work with 20 leading professors and clinicians and a team of 17 research and technical staff across multiple disciplines including soft robotics, materials engineering, tissue and bioengineering, bio-interfacing, synthetic biology and surgery.

The position will be based in the Biomedical Sciences Building in the Faculty of Life Sciences with access to leading-edge infrastructure from the Bristol Bioprinting Centre and the Wolfson Bioimaging Facility . The successful candidate will work closely with team members from the Biomaterials Engineering group (bioMEG), the Bristol BioDesign Institute , the Bristol Robotics Laboratory and the Faculties of Engineering and Science.

What will you be doing?

During this project you will design, build and test smart material-engineered tissue interfaces. This will involve:

• Working in a multidisciplinary engineering team to integrate novel metamaterials into the hybrid synthetic-living material structure.
• Working with a multidisciplinary robotics team to apply the bio-interfacing outputs for implantable artificial muscles.
• Interact with leading clinicians on the route to the clinical translation of the implantable artificial muscles.

You should apply if

• You have, or are expected to receive a PhD in bioengineering, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine or related discipline
• You are keen to work at the cutting edge of bioengineering, soft robotics, artificial muscles and healthcare robotics research and development
• You are excited about working in a multi-disciplinary team to explore disruptive artificial muscles technologies beyond state-of-the-art.

For informal inquiries please contact Professor Adam Perriman ( chawp@bristol.ac.uk ).

We welcome applications from all members of our community and are particularly encouraging those from diverse groups, such as members of the LGBT+ and BAME communities, to join us.