ERC-funded Postdoctoral Fellow in Organoid and Tissue Engineering

UCD Charles Institute of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University College Dublin; Dublin; On-site; EUR 43,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

UCD invites applications for a temporary Post-doctoral Research Fellow Level 1 in the ECM lab at the Charles Institute of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University College Dublin. The role supports the ERC DESIGN-ECM project to study species and sex effects in extracellular matrix and cells for advanced 3D tissue models.

The position involves developing 3D ECM scaffolds, in vitro validation of cells, and building ovarian organoid models, with a start date 01 May 2027 and a fixed salary of

Qualifications

• PhD in a relevant field (completed or near completion).
• Experience with 3D tissue models and ECM.
• Strong communication and collaboration abilities.

Responsibilities

• Engineer and characterise 3D ECM scaffolds.
• Perform in vitro cell validations.
• Develop 3D ovarian organoid models.

Skills

Bioengineering

Tissue Engineering

Organoids

Mechanobiology

Extracellular matrix

Communication skills

Education

PhD in a relevant field

Job description

Applications are invited for a temporary post of a UCD Post-doctoral Research Fellow Level 1 within UCD School of Medicine - Charles Institute of Dermatology.

The ECM lab led by Associate Professor Seungkuk Ahn at University College Dublin in Ireland has an opening for a Postdoctoral Research position (PD level 1) to work on the ERC-funded "DESIGN-ECM" project to investigate the role of species and sex of extracellular matrix and cells for better designing 3D tissue models.

Human mimetic preclinical models imitate human organs, tissues, and diseases to enable safer, more accurate testing for new drugs and therapies. Such models are created by employing core biomaterials and cells existing in our tissues. These models have significant potential to enhance our understanding of human disease and the development of treatments. However, the majority of human preclinical models to date have neglected the species and sex of the extra cellular matrix and cells as biological variables, while species- and sex-dependent biomaterial and cell properties have been well acknowledged in animal and clinical studies.

Led by Dr Seungkuk Ahn, DESIGN-ECM will address this gap by investigating species-driven dimorphism in biomaterials and cell biology across various disciplines such as materials science, bioengineering, organoids, mechanobiology, nanobiotechnology. Success in this project will reshape the design of future preclinical models to seriously reckon with species and sex of biomaterials and cells, moving towards personalised tissue models in the long term.

Candidates will work together with 2 PhD students to establish the core methodologies and data sets for the first 36 months of the total 60-month ERC project.

The main scientific works will

1. engineer and characterise 3D ECM scaffolds
2. perform in vitro cell validations
3. develop 3D ovarian organoid models

The start date of this position is 01 May 2027.

Fixed Salary: €47,273 Per Annum

Closing date: 12:00 noon (local Irish time) on 05 November 2026.

Applications must be submitted by the closing date and time specified. Any applications which are still in progress at the closing time of 12:00 noon (Local Irish Time) on the specified closing date will be cancelled automatically by the system. UCD are unable to accept late applications.

UCD do not require assistance from Recruitment Agencies. Any CVs submitted by Recruitment Agencies will be returned.

The PD1 position is intended for early-stage researchers, either just after completion of a PhD or for someone entering a new area for the first time. If you have already completed your PD1 stage in UCD or will soon complete a PD1, or you are an external applicant whose total Postdoctoral experience, inclusive of the duration of the advertised post, would exceed 4 years, you should not apply and should refer to PD2 posts instead.

Prior to application, further information (including application procedure) should be obtained from the Work at UCD website: https://www.ucd.ie/workatucd/jobs/

Desired Skills and Experience

• Communication and interpersonal skills
• Bioengineering
• Tissue Engineering
• Mechanobiology
• Organoids
• Extracellular matrix protein engineering

Tagged as

• Engineering
• Life Sciences