Postdoctoral Scholar, Rotary Blood Pump Design

Penn State University; United States; On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits package

Job summary

The Penn State College of Medicine, Division of Applied Biomedical Engineering in the Department of Surgery, Hershey, PA, seeks a post-doctoral scholar to contribute to next-generation mechanical circulatory support devices, including a pediatric ventricular assist device.

This on-campus position requires a PhD in Mechanical or Biomedical Engineering and offers collaboration with surgeons, veterinarians, and industry partners.

Qualifications

• Recent PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, or related field with experience in mechanical circulatory support systems or rotary blood pump development.
• Expertise in turbomachinery design, tribology, hydrodynamic bearings, CFD/FSI modeling, or pump hydraulic testing.
• Proficiency with CAD and CFD solvers; familiarity with FEM/FSI tools.
• Strong scientific method, data synthesis, and ability to publish.
• Excellent organizational, written, and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Design and optimize rotary blood pump components (impellers, volutes, bearings).
• Perform CFD/FSI simulations to evaluate hydraulic performance and blood damage.
• Plan and conduct in vitro testing and blood-based assays.
• Support in vivo (large-animal) studies with clinical collaborators.
• Analyze data, prepare manuscripts, and present at conferences.
• Assist in grant preparation and progress reporting.
• Mentor graduate and undergraduate students.

Skills

CFD/FSI modeling

Turbomachinery design

Tribology

Hydrodynamic bearings

CAD SolidWorks

CFD solvers (Converge, ANSYS Fluent,/A

Education

PhD in Mechanical Engineering

PhD in Biomedical Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

Converge

ANSYS Fluent

ABAQUS

Job description

The Penn State College of Medicine, Division of Applied Biomedical Engineering in the Department of Surgery, Hershey, PA, seeks a post-doctoral scholar to contribute to next-generation mechanical circulatory support devices, including a pediatric ventricular assist device.

This on-campus position requires a PhD in Mechanical or Biomedical Engineering and offers collaboration with surgeons, veterinarians, and industry partners.