Entrepreneurial PhD position in Paris – Microfluidic Perfusion Instrument for Retinal Models

Microfluidics Innovation Center; France; On-site; EUR 42,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid annual leave

Pension plan

Provident insurance

Travel reimbursement

Job summary

Microfluidics Innovation Center in Paris is seeking a PhD-track researcher to develop a benchtop microfluidic perfusion instrument that keeps retinal tissue alive. You will integrate sensors and feedback to control the culture environment and explore low-oxygen conditions for disease modelling.

Partner validation includes retinal organoids and explants. You will translate end-user needs into engineering specs, consider IP protection, and evaluate commercial opportunities within the PANDORA

Qualifications

• Master's degree in physics or engineering (bioengineering, mechatronics, engineering physics) or related fields.
• Fluency in English (IELTS 6.5 or equivalent).
• Experience with one or more: cell culture, sensors/electronics, Python, CFD simulations, and 3D CAD/printing.

Responsibilities

• Design and build a benchtop microfluidic perfusion instrument with continuous medium recirculation.
• Integrate sensors and feedback control to monitor the culture microenvironment.
• Investigate low-oxygen conditions to model retinal disease.
• Validate the platform with partners using retinal organoids and explants.
• Translate user needs into engineering specs and assess IP and market potential.

Skills

Python

CFD simulations

3D printing

Fluency in English

Education

Master's degree in physics or engineering (bioengineering, mechatronics, engineering physics) or related fields

Tools

3D CAD

Sensors / electronics

Job description

Organisation/Company Microfluidics Innovation Center Research Field Engineering » Biomedical engineering Neurosciences » Neurobiology Physics Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Application Deadline 13 Nov 2026 - 18:00 (Europe/Paris) Country France Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 1 Apr 2027 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe - MSCA Marie Curie Grant Agreement Number 101312030 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Microfluidic Perfusion Instrument for Retinal Models

PANDORA is an MSCA Doctoral Network of 13 PhD students studying the role of the complement system in Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), the main cause of blindness in the elderly, and developing new ways to model and treat it.

Your project is the development of a benchtop microfluidic instrument that keeps living retinal tissue alive outside the body for weeks. Unlike conventional static culture, where the medium is exchanged by hand every couple of days, your platform will recirculate the medium continuously through a closed loop, and you will build it from MIC's flow control technology, integrating sensors and feedback loops to give full control of the culture microenvironment.

A key research question is how to recreate the low-oxygen conditions of the diseased retina, turning the platform into a disease model in its own right. You will validate it with consortium partners on retinal organoids and living retinal explants, including combination drug treatments, and evaluate its path to market.

Place:based in Paris, 4 months of secondments within the consortium (Newcastle University, UK; University of Tübingen, Germany)

Research and development activities in brief

• Design and develop a benchtop microfluidic perfusion instrument with continuous medium recirculation.
• Integrate sensors and feedback control to monitor and regulate the culture microenvironment.
• Investigate how to recreate low-oxygen conditions relevant to retinal disease.
• Validate the platform with PANDORA partners using retinal organoids and living retinal explants.
• Translate end-user needs into engineering specifications, consider intellectual property protection and evaluate commercial opportunities.

MIC is a French SME based in Paris, developing microfluidic prototypes within European research consortia and translating them into products and opportunities for new ventures. The PhD combines scientific research with practical experience in product development. The ambition is to bring a new product to market before the end of the PhD, while learning hands‑on how to identify a market, engage with end‑users and protect intellectual property.

The main project will be carried out at MIC headquarters in Paris under the supervision of Dr. Lisa Muiznieks. The candidate will work in an interdisciplinary team that values scientific rigour, initiative, creativity and collaboration.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska‑Curie grant agreement no. 101312030 (PANDORA).

Where to apply

Your profile to become the rockstar of the team

• You have a master's degree (or equivalent) in physics, engineering (bioengineering, mechatronics, engineering physics etc) or related fields.
• Ideally experience with one or more of the following:
  • Cell culture (3D cultures or organoids)
  • Sensors or electronics
  • Python
  • CFD simulations
  • 3D CAD and 3D printing
• Strong interest in applying AI-based approaches on technical subjects (experience desirable)
• You are scientifically rigorous, creative, practical and results-driven.
• Fluency in English (IELTS 6.5 or equivalent for non-native speakers)
• Knowledge of French is a plus, but not required.
• You can think “outside the box” to find simple solutions to complicated problems, you like to tackle complex problems and bring your own proposals to the team.
• You don’t like routine, you take initiative and you’re able to quickly adapt to changes in direction.
• You want a job that makes sense, want to see the outcome of your PhD in the real world and not only on a lab shelf.
• At MIC, we like: Action; creative, autonomous and curious people, team players. Those who act more than they talk, people who challenge themselves and yet care about others. Those who question themselves, those who want an intense and contrasted life.

Languages ENGLISH Level Excellent

Research Field Engineering » Mechanical engineering

Additional Information

The position offers the opportunity to carry out a PhD within a microfluidics SME in Paris and contribute to the international, intersectoral PANDORA Doctoral Network. The candidate will gain practical experience in microfluidic instrument development, sensor integration and feedback control, alongside collaboration with partners working on retinal models. The EU provides 36 months support for each recruited researcher.

MIC also offers hands‑on exposure to entrepreneurship and market‑driven research, including discussions with end‑users, the translation of their needs into product specifications, intellectual property considerations and assessment of the platform’s commercial potential.

Employment benefits include paid annual leave under the applicable rules, pension and provident insurance coverage, and reimbursement of work‑related travel and subsistence expenses against receipts, within company limits and procedures. Annual leave may be taken in advance during the first year, subject to prior management approval.

Gross salary: 42,000 € /year (48,000 € with family allowance, if eligible)

Eligibility criteria

The applicant:

• shall not have resided or carried out his/her main activity (work, studies etc.) in France for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the recruitment date (unless as part of a compulsory national service or a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention).
• shall not already be in possession of a doctoral degree (*).
• can be of any nationality.

(*) researchers who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but who have not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree will not be considered eligible

• A motivation letter of no more than two pages, stating your level of English and the names and contact details of two previous mentors or collaborators who can act as references.
• A mobility declaration listing all places where you have lived over the past three years, with city and country, dates in MM/YY format, and the main reason for each stay, such as work, study or family. Short vacations do not need to be declared.

For questions about the position, please contact Dr. Lisa Muiznieks at [e-mail].

Doctoral candidates will be selected based on scientific qualification and experience, research interest, additional knowledge/skills and their motivation to participate in an intersectoral research‑training program. The position is recruited in line with Open, Transparent, Merit‑based (OTM) recruitment.

Applications open on 13 October 2026 and close on 13 November 2026. Remote evaluation and interviews are planned for November and December 2026. The fellowship is expected to start by April 2027.

About MIC

Our vision

A major technological revolution is underway in the world of biotechnology, which is accelerating progress in medicine like never before. Microfluidics is one of the cornerstones of this revolution.

Our mission