Call for candidates for an MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship in the field of Biomechanics

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Call for candidates for an MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship in the field of Biomechanics

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IRPHE is a research institute of Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, and École Centrale Méditerranée. Its research is mainly fundamental and concerns fluid mechanics and condensed matter physics. Research projects typically involve combined experimental, numerical and theoretical studies of complex systems where turbulence, stability and nonlinear effects play a role in their self-organisation, dynamics or structuration. Applications of its research concern many fields ranging from industrial flows and processes to health and biological systems, geophysical and astrophysical flows, and the environment.IRPHE is also active in European programs such as the European Research Council (ERC) and Marie Sklodowska Curie (MSCA) Doctoral Networks.IRPHE would welcome applications from excellent researchers within its axis “Living organisms, Biological Systems”.Research projects in our group focus on modelling and understanding the behavior and functioning of different biological systems. The systems studied are varied, ranging from micro-organisms to human biological tissues and organs, crustaceans, fish, birds, trees, and algae. The study of these complex systems, which are sometimes evolving, requires, in most cases, the implementation of multi-physical models and multi-modal experiments on a wide range of spatial scales (from micro to macroscopic) and temporal scales (from microseconds to years). Approaches are simultaneously theoretical, experimental, and numerical, and in constant confrontation with the reality of the studied systems. One of the distinctive features of projects under “Living organisms, Biological Systems” group is their intrinsically interdisciplinary nature. As such, they are part of a modern vision of research, with no disciplinary barriers; in addition to engineering sciences, fields of biology (human, animal, plant), clinical (medical imaging, diagnosis, therapy), mathematics (statistics, deep learning), and information science (robotics) are involved. The questions raised are fundamental, the methodologies implemented original and innovative, and some works carried out contribute to meeting tomorrow’s technological and societal challenges in bioengineering.More information, including a list of past and current research topics, can be found atOngoing projectsLymphatic systemThe lymphatic system, which transports interstitial fluid from the tissues to the cardiovascular system, is known as one of the most adaptable and robust systems to transport liquid in a complex network of channels. Lymph is transported based on local feedback-loop that triggers muscles contraction, which then leads to fluid transport. So far, our understanding of this process is very limited. This is explained by the difficulty to observe lymph flow in complex networks of micrometric sized channels. Yet, better models of lymph flow are critical to face lymph-related diseases and understand how metastatic cells use the lymphatics to propagate and generate secondary tumors. This project aims at developing experimental and numerical models of the lymphatic system in order to better understand lymph flow. The project will focus on studying how a network of lymphatic channels reacts to the sudden malfunction of some channels localized in one specific region. In the long term, the developed tools and models will be used to better understand how lymph transport adapts to external stimuli and how, in specific conditions, it fails to adapt, thus leading to lymph-related diseases such as lymphedema.Pollution and human healthEmission from ships is one of the least-regulated anthropogenic emission sources of primary aerosols and pollutants (Chen 2018). It is particularly true in the Mediterranean where a lack of regulation allows the ships to consume a fuel highly loaded with sulfur concentration up to 3.5%. If the latest ship generation preferentially uses liquefied gas as fuel, the bulk of the fleet uses fuel oil and alternative solutions must be found to significantly reduce pollution when ships are at berth in harbours. Our motivation is to study with objective data the real importance of the air pollution of some large Mediterranean cities and its impact on local urban populations. This project gathers researchers using state of the air quality numerical models, medicine doctors examining the effect of air pollution on human health and air quality monitoring networks from public and citizen actors.Prediction of vascular diseases evolutionResponsible for almost 18 million deaths each year, cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. Aortic dissection is one of these diseases that occurs in the thoracic aorta potentially life threatening with still poorly understood pathophysiology’s. This disease consists of an intimal tear in the aortic wall, called the entry tear, responsible for the creation of a circulating false channel. True and false channels are separated by the dissected wall. The objective of this project is to identify new morpho-elasto-hemodynamical markers, predictive at an early stage, of adverse developments in aortic dissection. To achieve this goal, we will combine biomechanical modelling, quantitative medical imaging, and deep learning approaches.Biological porous media modelThrombus is a biological material that can be considered as a multilayered, porous, and inhomogeneous structure showing permeability gradients. Its role in the unfavorable or favorable evolution of vascular pathology has long been a matter of controversy. Its mechanical characteristics, and the hemodynamic mechanisms involved in its formation and evolution are all parameters that may play a part in the role of the thrombus as a predictive marker of the evolution of pathologies. Its characterization is essential to better understand its role/influence and to propose ad hoc models in in silico simulations. Imaging of thrombus microstructure by X-ray microtomography, in situ mechanical compressive tests and study of fluid diffusion and/or convection within a thrombus under flow conditions, will allow the development of a porous model from data at the microscopic and macroscopic scales.Keywords:Lymphatic system, Pollution and human health, Prediction of vascular diseases evolution, Biological porous media modelEligibility criteriaApplicants must have defended their doctoral thesis and addressed any corrections required by their examiners before the MSCA-PF application deadline (13 September 2023). Furthermore, their doctoral degree must have been awarded no more than eight years before that deadline. The applicant can be of any nationality and must not have spent more than 12 months in France during the three years immediately prior to 13 September 2023.You can find more about the eligibility and application on the EC Funding & tender portal ( HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01).Application processPlease send your CV, a cover letter explaining why you wish to apply for an MSCA-PF at IRPHE and your research topic proposalas attachments to by 25 July 2023.CNRS support for your MSCA applicationThe selected candidate(s) will develop a project proposal (10 pages) with the support of a supervisor from the IRPHE Research Unit, as well as from the French National Centre of Research Delegation in Marseille for the administrative and budgetary set-up.Share this page

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Location

Marseille

Job date

Fri, 07 Jun 2024 04:32:25 GMT

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