Technical Expert “On-chip Organoid Patterning”
We are looking for a highly motivated and collaborative individual to join the Quantitative Developmental Biology group as a Technical Expert (3 year position) in the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering (D-BSSE) of the ETH Zürich, located in Basel, Switzerland. The candidate will work as part of a multidisciplinary team and be passionate about science, technology, collaboration and communication.
The goal of this position is to develop a novel microfluidic chip for on-chip neural organoid culture to allow for the spatially and temporally controlled supply of patterning factors to the growing organoid. Activities will include the design and fabrication of microfluidic chips, the generation of human neural organoid cultures, adjustments of culture protocols, and the molecular phenotyping of the on-chip generated model systems of different regions of the human brain. The position is embedded in the Quantitative Developmental Biology group, which uses stem cell-derived three-dimensional organoids, single-cell genomics, CRISPR genome engineering, microscopy and advanced computational approaches to explore human development and disease.
The candidate must have a PhD degree in Bioengineering or a related field with several years of work experience. The candidate must bring very good social skills (teamplayer) as well as fantastic communication skills and fluency in oral and written English.
The successful candidate will have experience across the following areas:
- Human and mouse ESC and iPSC derived neural organoid culture (neural tube, spinal cord, and brain)
- Microengineering with strong clean room experience; photo/soft lithography, DRIE etching, mask aligner, photoresist laser writer, mask processing, plasma etching, scanning electron microscopy
- Microfluidic device development with focus on organ-on-a-chip (especially developing hydrogel-incorporated microfluidic devices and laser-etching experience)
- 3D modelling and simulation (experience with AutoCAD, Blender, and COMSOL)
- Imaging (confocal microscopy, live cell imaging, time-lapse microscopy, light sheet microscopy) as well as with tissue sectioning (cyrosection, Vibratome), immunofluorescence and fluorescence in situ hybridisation
- Single-cell genomics experiments
- Highly competitive conditions in a dynamic and international research community in Basel
- ETH Zürich is an equal-opportunity employer with family-friendly work policies
science and technology. We are renowned for our excellent education,
cutting-edge fundamental research and direct transfer of new knowledge
into society. Over 30,000 people from more than 120 countries find our
university to be a place that promotes independent thinking and an
environment that inspires excellence. Located in the heart of Europe,
yet forging connections all over the world, we work together to
develop solutions for the global challenges of today and tomorrow.
