Background:
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common and complex clinical syndrome that causes high morbidity and mortality worldwide. Unfortunately, the gold standard of AKI diagnosis, based on creatinine detection, is particularly inadequate in terms of specificity and sensitivity. In addition, the specialized tests and equipment used to examine patient samples are costly and inaccessible in resource-poor settings. Therefore, the development of portable and cost-effective AKI biosensors is needed to enable simultaneous and sensitive detection of early-stage AKI biomarkers in clinics and personalized/POC settings to improve AKI prognosis and patient outcomes. To date, several AKI biosensors have been developed as alternatives to gold standard methods. Nevertheless, few of them have made it to clinical trials and even fewer to translational development. In this project, we identified the bottlenecks of existing strategies and tools to reverse these trends that prevent efficient AKI diagnosis. In this direction, the Biosensors Group aims to develop an alternative biosensor that allows detection of multiple AKI-related biomarkers with high specificity and sensitivity without compromising affordability. Such an interdisciplinary project requires the collaboration of various experts from academia, industry and hospitals. Therefore, the prospective PhD student will work closely with multiple experts to facilitate the development of this technology from research to market.

Qualifications:
- Bachelor's and Master's degrees in materials science and engineering, chemistry, bioengineering, or a related discipline,
- Strong theoretical and practical knowledge in biosensor development, organic synthesis, and photopolymerized polymers,
- Hands-on experience in polymer synthesis, characterization techniques (e.g., FTIR, SEM), data analysis, and statistical analysis software,
- Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, an open-minded and ambitious team player who enjoys taking responsibility and is enthusiastic about creative solutions,
- Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team-oriented, interdisciplinary and cross-cultural research environment,
- Excellent written and spoken English and effective communication skills, including the ability to present research findings clearly and concisely.

Application Requirements:
Applications should include a cover letter describing background relevant to the advertised position, curriculum vitae, contact information for two references, copies of graduate transcripts, and transcripts of credentials.

Applications should be submitted via the online platform as a single PDF document no later than 15/08/2023 by 17:00 CEST. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Only shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview. Please include the job number: xxx and the position in the subject line of your email. Recognized severely disabled persons will be given preferential consideration if equally qualified.