BRAINET Doctoral Network to research Transcalvarial Wireless Brain Stimulators

Multiple; Deutschland; Vor Ort; EUR 150.000 - 200.000; Vollzeit

Jobbeschreibung

Biological sciences » Biological engineering

Computer science » Digital systems

Computer science » Programming

Engineering » Electronic engineering

Engineering » Biomedical engineering

Technology » Nanotechnology

Technology » Micro-technology

Technology » Medical technology

Technology » Telecommunications technology

Technology » Information technology

Other

Organisation/Company Multiple Research Field Computer science » Systems design Biological sciences » Biological engineering Neurosciences » Neurophysiology Computer science » 3 D modelling Computer science » Digital systems Computer science » Programming Engineering » Electronic engineering Engineering » Biomedical engineering Engineering » Biomaterial engineering Engineering » Materials engineering Engineering » Simulation engineering Engineering » Control engineering Technology » Nanotechnology Technology » Micro-technology Technology » Medical technology Technology » Telecommunications technology Technology » Information technology Physics » Biophysics Physics » Electromagnetism Physics » Applied physics Other Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Country Germany Application Deadline 28 Feb 2026 - 12:00 (UTC) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 40 Offer Starting Date 1 Jan 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe - MSCA Marie Curie Grant Agreement Number 101225775 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

The BRAINET consortium tries to augment DBS with spatio-temporal Interference Stimulation (stIS). We will beneficially influence therapeutic regions deep in the brain without requiring deep seated electrodes. BRAINET sets out to develop skull implantable stimulation hubs forming a communication network for 3D targeting by self-organization, providing semantic information transfer and synchronization, and thus enabling self-adjusting therapeutic stIS. These stimulation hubs will be powered by novel magneto-electrical transducer stacks, driven by slowly alternating magnetic fields from the outside and will perform adjustable frequency stimulation by novel nano-modified, compliant electrodes only touching the brain. Network formation will be enabled by multiphysics approaches and ionic in-body communication instantiated by dedicated microelectronic hardware. Preclinical in-vitro and in-vivo testing of devices and methods will allow real world validation of this unusual Brain-Computer Interface (BCI).

This effort unifies several world class research places each offering positions.

Two positions at the University of Tampere, Finland:

• The doctoral candidate will develop novel in-vitro neuronal cell culture environment to assess the non-invasive interference stimulation in 3D or semi 3D cell culturing - suitable for technically gifted biologists, biologically oriented engineers or any scientist not afraid of interacting with living cells, 3D materials, electric stimulation and cellular electrophysiology recordings.
• The doctoral candidate will develop tools and methods to assess the effects of the non-invasive interference stimulation on nervous system in-vitro and in-vivo - suitable for a scientist with data and signal processing ambitions, both from biological or engineering/computer scientist background with keen interest on biological and especially neuronal systems analysis.
  https://tinyurl.com/DC10-14-BRAINET

One position at the Technical University of Ilmenau, Germany:

The doctoral candidate will develop advanced current flow models (digital twins), perform comprehensive uncertainty analyses with respect to electrical conductivity and tissue geometry, and develop optimization strategies to identify optimal placement sites for the newly developed interference stimulation device generation.

Two positions at the University of Freiburg, Germany:

• The doctoral candidate will contribute to the development of BRAINET by designing and fabricating CMOS-based multiphysical communication ASICs that enable semantic information exchange between wireless implant units and external systems. Ideally, the DC holds an MSc EE degree with specialization in microelectronics, with strong interest in signal processing and communication theory.

The doctoral candidate will develop CMOS-integrated neural interface ASICs for inter-implant communication and synchronization, development of arbitrary-waveform stimulation and low-noise recording front-ends with on-chip neural data pre-processing for embedded operation in the implant. Ideally, the DC holds an MSc EE degree with specialization in microelectronics, with strong interest in signal processing and biomedical interfaces.

One position at the Hamburg University of Technology, Germany:

The doctoral candidate will develop and characterise a nanoporous silicon–polypyrrole hybrid material capable of converting mechanical disturbances into electrical signals under biocompatible conditions to enable wireless mechanical-to-electrical energy transfer for implant communication. This position is suitable for technically skilled physcisists, materials scientists, bio-engineers, or any researcher comfortable working with smart materials, magnetic actuation, energy transfer, and experimental validation in biomedical settings.

Two positions at the University Minho, Portugal:

• The doctoral candidate will investigate flexible, conformal polymeric micro parts for subdural brain implantation using novel polymeric resins and cutting edge additive manufacturing methods rigorously tested for biocompatibility, mechanical strength, and long-term viability. Position is suitable technically skilled materials scientists, bio-engineers, or any researcher comfortable working with smart materials and additive manufacturing validation in biomedical settings.

The doctoral candidate will investigate nano-coating architectures and surface plasma patterning on newly designed stimulation electrode base materials, aimed at responding to the particular requirements of the delicate interaction with the brain using complex bio-inspired shapes and smart manufacturing processes at the nanoscale level. The project also involves rigorous in vitro and in vivo safety, reliability, and long-term viability testing to minimise brain tissue risks. It is thus suitable for technically skilled materials scientists, bio-engineers, or any researcher comfortable working with smart materials and additive manufacturing validation in biomedical settings.

One position at the Walton Institute, SETU, Ireland:

The doctoral candidate will contribute to the implant's self-optimizing & self-healing communications network by developing agent-based models (ABM) of implant endpoints and links, while exploring autonomous resource optimization in a near-field communication network to create and evaluate strategies for failure-resilience and self-healing, enabling the network to detect, predict and recover from malfunctioning nodes or links. Suitable for candidates with a strong background in computer science, electronic engineering, applied mathematics or a related field, and an interest in complex systems, modelling and smart medical technologies.

Two positions at the Trinity College Dublin, Ireland:

• The doctoral candidate will focus on designing a semantic communication-based framework aiming to sample states of brain functions/regions and transfer data and power based on it. The role combines neuroscience, information theory, and communication engineering to drive innovation in neural interface technology and in-brain wireless networking.

The doctoral candidatewill advance non-invasive deep brain stimulation and smart wireless sensing technologies by developing body-coupled networking protocols for bidirectional neural interfaces, compressed sensing for device monitoring, and multi-scale network-level control. The role combines neuroscience, bioelectronics, communication engineering to drive innovation in neural interface technology and bioelectronic medicine.

Two positions at the University of Essex, United Kingdom:

• The doctoral candidate will investigate the feasibility of multiphysical communication interfaces and characterize the unique signal propagation properties of the intracranial environment. The project involves modeling the biophysical constraints of cranial tissue to develop an optimized system that enables simultaneous networked power and information transfer (SWIPT). The DC will design and validate communication protocols tailored to these specific biological constraints. This position is suitable for candidates with backgrounds in Biomedical Engineering, Wireless Communications, Electronic Engineering, or Neural Engineering.

The doctoral candidate will develop a robust multimodal communication frameworkspecifically designed forsubdural brain implants. The focus will be on optimizing data transmission efficiency and bandwidth utilization while strictly adhering tosafety constraints, reliability standards, and long-term biocompatibility. The DC will deliver a functional prototype capable of reliably transmitting neural and physiological data within a highly constrained biological environment. This position is suitable for candidates with backgrounds in Biomedical Engineering, Wireless Communications, Electronic Engineering, or Neural Engineering.
https://tinyurl.com/DC4-5-BRAINET

One position at the Medical Center of the University of Freiburg, Germany:

The doctoral candidate will investigate non-invasive interference stimulation on a rat model of Parkinson’s Disease. It will be in the DC’s hands to rigorously characterize and describe behavioral consequences, dose-effect curves and histological changes following interference stimulation. This position is suitable for technically gifted biologists, biological oriented engineers or any scientist not afraid of interacting with living animals, power sources, signal processing and statistics.

The prestigous project is fully funded by the Marie Skłodowska Curie Action Doctoral NetworkBRAINET(doi://10.3030/101225775) and comes with a competitive salary (see here ), comprising of

• TheLiving allowance, amounting to ca. € 4010 /month. This amount is adjusted according to the country in which the candidate is recruited,
• Mobility allowance, amounting to ca. € 710 /month, and
• Family allowance(if applicable, depending on family situation), which amounts to ca. € 660 per month.
  The family allowance will be implemented if the doctoral candidate has or acquires family obligations (i.e. marriage or relationship with equivalent status to a marriage recognised by the legislation of the country or region where this relationship was formalised or dependent children who are actually being maintained by the researcher) during the action duration.

Please note: National and institutional taxes, and social contributions apply to all DC fellowships and will be deducted from the allowances. The provided amount is not conclusive and will be defined prior the recruitment starting. For further details see the specific positions following the link provided in the section above.

The candidate will be employed by the recruiting beneficiary with a single, three years employment contract offering social security, holiday rights, parental leave rights, pension provision, healthcare insurance and accident coverage at work. Researchers must be enrolled in a doctoral programme aiming to award a doctoral degree in at least one EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country.

In the frame of MSCA Doctoral Networks, BRAINET aims at training candidates wishing to have a look outside academia and develop their skills also in industrial environments. For this purpose, the successful candidates must spend several months of the contract time in a seconding environment allowing the development of valuable transversal competences that will positively impact the long term employability of the candidate. Mobility will be required here as well.

Eligibility criteria

Mobility

Candidates can be of any nationality and must nothave resided or carried out his/her main activity (work, studies etc) in the country of the recruiting beneficiary for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their date of recruitment .

The candidate must not be already in possession of a doctoral degree at the date of the recruitment. Researchers who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but have not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree will not be considered eligible. The eligibility of the researcher will be determined at the date of their first recruitment in the action.

Further national requirement: specified in each specific offered position page.

For further information and detailed description on each offered position please visit the link provided in the section above.

For inquiries, please contact the responsible PI. Contact and information will be provided on the offered position webpage.

Selection process

Eligible applicants will undergo a pre-selection evaluation based on the CV, experience and skills. Short-listed applicants will be invited for an interview with the evaluation committee members, potentially by online conferencing.

Additional comments

For further information and detailed description on each offered position please visit the institutional link provided in the "Offer Description" section above. Links and information are routinely updated.

For inquiries, please contact the responsible person/contact for each offered position. Contact and information will be provided on the offered position webpage.

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available 1 Company/Institute Medical Center University of Freiburg -Section for Neuroelectronic Systems Country Germany State/Province Baden-Württemberg City Freiburg Postal Code 79106 Street Breisacher Str. 64 Geofield

Number of offers available 2 Company/Institute Trinity College Dublin - Electronic and Electrical Engineering Country Ireland City Dublin 2 Postal Code 2 D02 CX56 Street COLLEGE GREEN Geofield

Number of offers available 2 Company/Institute University of Essex - School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering Country United Kingdom City COLCHESTER Postal Code CO4 3SQ Street WIVENHOE PARK Geofield

Number of offers available 2 Company/Institute ALBERT-LUDWIGS-UNIVERSITAET FREIBURG - Department of Microsystems Engineering Country Germany State/Province Baden-Württemberg City Freiburg Postal Code 79110 Street Georges-Koehler-Allee 101 Geofield

Number of offers available 1 Company/Institute SOUTH EAST TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY - Walton Institute Country Ireland City WATERFORD Postal Code X91 P20H Street West Campus, Carriganore Geofield

Number of offers available 1 Company/Institute TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET HAMBURG - Institute of Materials and X-ray Physics Country Germany State/Province Hamburg City Hamburg Postal Code 22607 Street Notkestraße 85 Geofield

Number of offers available 1 Company/Institute TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET ILMENAU - Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Informatics Country Germany State/Province Thüringen City Ilmenau Postal Code 98693 Street Gustav-Kirchhoff-Straße 2 Geofield

Number of offers available 2 Company/Institute TAMPERE UNIVERSITY - Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology Country Finland City TAMPERE Postal Code 33100 Street KALEVANTIE 4 Geofield

Number of offers available 2 Company/Institute UNIVERSIDADE DO MINHO - Centre of Physics Country Portugal State/Province Minho City Guimarães Street Azurém Campus Geofield