Research Assistant/Associate in Vascular Modelling and Biomimetic Testbed Engineering

Location: South Kensington Campus

About the role:

Funded by the UK Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) through its Massively Scalable Neurotechnology Programme, this Research Assistant/Associate position will contribute to an ambitious, interdisciplinary project developing a radically new class of endovascular, electronics-free acoustic neural interfaces for minimally invasive, transcranial neural monitoring.

Working within the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College London, you will contribute to research in biomechanics, vascular modelling, microfabrication and biomimetic testbed engineering to support the development, validation and translation of novel neurotechnology devices. You will also contribute to project management activities, collaborate with multidisciplinary research teams, publish in leading journals and support the development of future research funding opportunities.

What you would be doing:

You will:

• Apply computational modelling, microfabrication and experimental testbed techniques to investigate vascular, haemodynamic and acoustic phenomena.
• Design, fabricate and validate microfluidic vascular platforms and tissue-mimetic phantoms, integrating these into functional experimental testbeds.
• Apply and extend established computational biomechanics and fluid-structure interaction (FSI) models to support device design, performance evaluation and vascular safety assessment.
• Utilise imaging-derived vascular datasets to inform anatomical models, phantom geometries and physiological test conditions.
• Conduct in vitro studies to evaluate device performance, vascular compatibility, safety and endovascular delivery approaches.
• Work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams and external partners across engineering, clinical and translational research disciplines.
• Publish research findings in high-quality peer-reviewed journals and present results at national and international conferences.
• Contribute to research reports, funding proposals and the wider research activities of the Group. 

What we are looking for:

• You will hold a PhD (or is close to completion) in Mechanical/Biomedical Engineering, Bioengineering or a closely related discipline 

You will also have:

• Experience working in a research environment, with a strong publication record and/or contributions to high-quality research projects.
• Experience working collaboratively within multidisciplinary research teams and with a range of academic, clinical or industrial partners.
• Hands-on experience in the design, fabrication and experimental integration of microfluidic devices and/or tissue-mimetic vascular phantoms.
• Experience with additive manufacturing techniques, particularly SLA or DLP 3D printing.
• Knowledge of vascular biomechanics, haemodynamics and fluid-structure interaction principles.
• Knowledge of research methods and quantitative experimental techniques, including data analysis, validation and statistical approaches. 

Experience in computational modelling, medical device development, imaging-based anatomical reconstruction, tissue-mimetic materials, in vivo/ex vivo studies, neurovascular physiology, ultrasound or endovascular technologies would be advantageous. 

Please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification for the full list of essential and desirable criteria. 

What we can offer you:

• The opportunity to work on a pioneering, multidisciplinary programme at the interface of bioelectronics, vascular biomechanics, medical robotics and neuroscience, alongside leading research groups across Imperial College London
• The opportunity to continue your career at a world-leading institution
• Sector-leading salary and remuneration package (including 43 days off a year)

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