Research Associate in Experimental Bone Biomechanics (Dall'Ara)

Job description:

Are you interested in better understanding the properties of children bones and how they fracture due to metabolic diseases?

This highly interdisciplinary post-doctoral research associate (PDRA) position will advance our understanding of the effect of metabolic diseases on the microstructure and biomechanical properties of children bones.

The position is within Insigneo and is part of a larger project funded by the EPSRC that aims to create the first digital twin for children bones that can be used to diagnose the risk of fracture in children with metabolic diseases. This part of the project is focused on the characterization of the tissue and collecting the required data to inform and validate the outputs of the models.

The ideal candidate will have an excellent PhD in experimental bone biomechanics. They will possess a solid knowledge of bone physiology, imaging and biomechanics, and will have experience in comparing experimental and computational modelling outputs.  Ensuring the achievement of the project objectives will advance the vision of the Insigneo institute to validate computational models for the musculoskeletal system and produce a transformational impact on healthcare. The PDRA will also sustain and strengthen collaboration within relevant Insigneo research groups and beyond; and will commit to Insigneo’s mission to produce high quality and impactful cutting-edge research.

You will join the group of Prof. Enrico Dall’Ara. Our biomechano-imaging group has an international and interdisciplinary profile and a strong commitment to clinical and industrial translation with impact in future healthcare. We are active in imaging and biomechanics of the skeletal systems and we have access to micro-computed tomography imaging facilities, a biomechanical laboratory, nanoindentation equipment, the BoneDVC digital volume correlation algorithm, and state of the art computational resources, including access to the University high performance computing server Stanage.  You will also be part of the Integrative Musculoskeletal Biomechanics (IMSB) group within Insigneo, and actively engage with the activities organized by the group. The IMSB is formed by eleven Principal Investigators and their teams (in total ~40 members), with expertise in multiscale imaging and experimental and computational musculoskeletal biomechanics.

The successful candidate will discover for the first time the effect of bone metabolic diseases on the hierarchical mechanical properties of the children’s bones.

The PDRA will work collaboratively with other colleagues within the IMSB group, the Skelet.AL laboratory, and the Insigneo institute to validate the digital twin for children skeletal applications. 

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to learn from several principal investigators involved in the project, being embedded in a large musculoskeletal biomechanics group, lead on tasks related to the musculoskeletal imaging and biomechanics, participate to project meetings within the team and the IMSB group, present their work in national and international congresses, and disseminate their work in leading international peer reviewed journals.

We build teams of people from different heritages and lifestyles from across the world, whose talent and contributions complement each other to greatest effect. We believe diversity in all its forms delivers greater impact through research, teaching and student experience.

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