Postdoctoral position in soft-tissue Biomechanics in LMGC (Montpellier, France)

Université de montpellier; France; Sur place; EUR 35 000 - 45 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

A research university in France is seeking a Postdoc for a biomechanics project on hydro-chemo-mechanical characterisation of Wharton’s jelly derivatives. The role involves working on digital twins, focusing on the mechanical behaviour and integration of new medical materials. Candidates must hold a PhD and possess experience with finite element analysis and medical imaging. This position is funded by a national research project, with a start date of February 1, 2026.

Qualifications

• Experience with FEA poro-mechanical simulation is a plus.
• Knowledge of digital twin building is a substantial advantage.

Responsabilités

• Work on digital twins mimicking the hydro-chemo-mechanical behavior of Wharton’s jelly derivatives.
• Monitor in-vivo assessment and integration of materials.

Connaissances

Finite Element Analysis (FEA)

In-vivo bio-integration

Medical imaging

Formation

PhD or equivalent

Description du poste

Organisation/Company Université de montpellier Department Biomechanics Research Field Engineering » Biomaterial engineering Engineering » Mechanical engineering Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Positions Postdoc Positions Country France Application Deadline 1 Feb 2026 - 00:00 (Europe/Paris) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Negotiable Offer Starting Date 1 Feb 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

This position takes part of an ANR project (2023-2027) entitled Hydro-chemo-mechanical characterisation of a mucoid matrix for medical applications.

Context: The consortium's knowledge of Wharton's jelly (WJ) derivatives, which exhibit good biomechanical repeatability (Baldit et al, 2022; Dubus et al., 2022a, 2022b) and allow modulation of cross-linking (Scomazzon et al., 2024), GAG content (Scomazzon et al., 2021) and/or environment, is a strength for characterizing hydro-chemo-mechanical couplings in soft biological tissues. Moreover, as a product destined for destruction and promising for future medical applications, enriching knowledge of hydro-chemo-mechanical couplings in WJ appears to be a crucial element for medical innovation.

Objectives: Joining a multidisciplinary team, the main objective is to work on digital twins mimicking the hydro-chemo-mechanical behavior of WJ derivates ex-vivo at first while taking part to the in-vivo assessment to then integrate it.

The main hypothesis is to consider the couplings between solid and fluid phases, as well as the chemical components of both, specifically electrically charged GAGs combined with collagen as well as physiological ions. The fluid-structure interaction will be modeled as a homogenized continuous medium within the framework of poro-mechanics, while the chemo-mechanical coupling will be generated by chemical potential equilibrium through osmosis (Chetoui et al., 2022). Based on preliminary results, it is considered that adjusting cross-links (Lavrand et al., 2024) and GAG content (Scomazzon et al., 2021), on geometrically controlled structures, is sufficient to modulate interaction phenomena. This will make it possible to discriminate between hydromechanical and chemomechanical couplings. Finally, the combination of multimodal imaging techniques during the execution of hydro-chemo-mechanical loading and the monitoring of the animal's response to material integration should provide sufficient data to enable the construction of predictive tools.

Currently, experimental data are collected to assess the viscous behaviour of the WJ derivates (Da Rocha et al., 2024) but also their damage for surgical applications (Da Rocha et al., 2025b).

A Baldit, M Dubus, J Sergheraert, H Kerdjoudj, C Mauprivez, and R Rahouadj. Biomechanical tensile behavior of human wharton’s jelly. Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials, 126 :104981, 2022.

M-A Chetoui, D Ambard, P Canadas, P Kouyoumdjian, P Royer, and S Le Floc’h. Impact of extracellular matrix and collagen network properties on the cervical intervertebral disc responseto physiological loads : A parametric study.Medical Engineering & Physics, page 103908, 2022

Da Rocha, A., Bekrar, M., Kerdjoudj, H., Laurent, C.P., Mauprivez, C., Po, C., Baldit, A., 2024. A first viscoelastic modelling of Wharton’s jelly membrane through finite element analysis, in: Proceedings of SB2024. Compiégne, France.

Da Rocha, A., Chatelin, S., Po, C., Laurent, C., Perroud, O., Kerdjoudj, H., Mauprivez, C., Baldit, A., 2025a. Preliminary results on multimodal mechanical characterization of a haemostatic sponge used for sinus lift. Multidisciplinary Biomechanics Journal

Da Rocha, A., Lavrand, A., Kerdjoudj, H., Laurent, C.P., Mauprivez, C., Po, C., Baldit, A., 2025b. First macro-scale damage properties for Wharton’s jelly membrane undergoing tensile loading using finite element analysis, in: Proceedings of ESMC 2025. Lyon, France.

M Dubus, L Scomazzon, J Chevrier, A Montanede, A Baldit, C Terryn, F Quilès, C Thomachot-Schneider, S-C Gangloff, N Bouland, F Gindraux, H Rammal, C Mauprivez, and H Kerdjoudj. Decellularization of wharton’s jelly increases its bioactivity and antibacterial properties. Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology, 10 :828424, 2022a.

M Dubus, L Scomazzon, J Chevrier, C Ledouble, A Baldit, J Braux,F Gindraux, C Boulagnon, S Audonnet, M Colin, H Rammal, C Mauprivez, and H Kerdjoudj. Antibacterial and immunomodulatory properties of acellularwharton’s jelly matrix. Biomedicines, 10(2), 2022b.

Lavrand, A., Adam, L., Lemaire, F., Boulmedais, F., Baldit, A., Mauprivez, C., Brenet, E., Kerdjoudj, H., 2024. Osteocompatible tannic acid cross-linked wharton jelly hydrogel: new guide for bone regeneration, in: B-MRS 2024. Santos, Brazil.

L Scomazzon, M Dubus, J Chevrier, J Varin-Simon, J Braux, A Baldit, S Gangloff, C Mauprivez,F Reffuveille, and H Kerdjoudj. Use of crosslinked wharton’s jelly in guided bone regeneration. Orthopaedic Proceedings, 103, supp 13 :81–81, 2021.

L Scomazzon, C Ledouble, M Dubus, J Braux, C Guillaume, N Bouland, A Baldit, F Boulmedais, V Gribova, C Mauprivez, and H Kerdjoudj. An increase in wharton’s jelly membrane osteocompatibility by a genipin crosslink. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 255 :127562, 2024.

Where to apply

E-mail [e-mail]

Requirements

Research Field Engineering » Simulation engineering Education Level PhD or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

The predictive simulation will be developed through Finite Element Analysis (FEA) in between LMGC and ICube and LEM3 Labs. Therefore, FEA poro-mechanical simulation experience is a plus (Le Floc’h, et al., 2024). Besides, in-vivo bio-integration will be monitored thanks to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at ICube that is why knowledge on medical imaging as well as digital twin building is a substantial plus for non-contact characterization (Da Rocha et al., 2025a).