Working at the Charité
At the Institute of Computer-assisted Cardiovascular Medicine at the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Germany), a PhD-position is available within the ThromboRisk project, a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Network funded by the EU. The position is open for appointment during the course of 2026, with a duration of 36 months, and includes up to 12 months of secondment to other partners of the network.
Job Description
Do you want to be trained to develop multi-level thrombosis risk prediction models by integrating cell-, thrombus-, and organ-level insights? While being part of a prestigious MSCA doctoral network working on revolutionizing personalized medicine through cutting-edge in silico, in vitro, and in vivo technologies to understand, predict and treat thrombosis? This is your chance!
As Doctoral Candidate, your first goal will be to solve the material challenge. You will create and characterize a systematic "sample matrix" using clinically relevant materials (such as titanium alloys, stainless steel, and polymers). Your task is to isolate specific surface properties like roughness, charge or hydrophilicity independently to understand exactly which characteristics govern protein adsorption and subsequent cell adhesion to what extent. You will subject these characterized surfaces to hemocompatibility tests with human blood, which you will develop according to standards and specific requirements, to quantify reactivity. Using microscopic techniques such as Scanning Electron Microscopy for qualitative cell attachment and fluorescent imaging for quantitative protein and cell attachment and measuring parameters from the blood sample after in-vitro incubation, you will map the precise relationship between surface engineering and thrombosis risk.
Research Programme Description
The ThromboRisk – European Doctoral Network titled ‘From cells to systems: Pioneering multi-level thrombosis risk prediction models’ is funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No. 101227706. It groups 10 hiring universities: Eindhoven University of Technology (NL), University of Maastricht (NL), University of Amsterdam (NL), Catholic University Leuven (BE), Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (DE), University College London (UK), Transsilvania University of Brasov (RO), SANO Centre for Computational Personalized Medicine (PL), University of Leeds (UK), and University of Bern (CH). Two projects are hosted by the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin.
ThromboRisk will develop an integrated platform to advance our understanding of thrombosis across biological scales, combining mechanobiology, biochemistry, pathophysiology, and computational modelling. For this inclusion to occur, each DC will develop through their research a unique contribution to the multi-level thrombosis risk prediction framework, addressing specific aspects of thrombus formation, growth, rupture, and clinical impact. This hands-on training is supplemented with several scientific professional courses and an immersive training program where the DCs can fine-tune their skills for the jobs of tomorrow, while addressing the societal challenges of the ThromboRisk program.
What we are looking for
We are looking for a candidate who meets the following requirements:
- You are creative and ambitious, hard-working, and persistent and are interested in working in an international and interdisciplinary environment
- You have a MSc degree, or you will have it by the start of employment, Engineering, Materials Science, Biotechnology, Biology, or any other relevant field
- You have theoretical and applied knowledge or interest in surface characterization, biomaterials, and blood compatibility
- Experience with imaging techniques (SEM, Fluorescence) is highly desirable
- You have good communicative skills, and the attitude to partake successfully in the work of a research team
- You have a good command of the English language (spoken and written, proficiency C1)
What the Charité offers
A meaningful job in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network. The Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin is an internationally renowned university hospital with a rich history. In addition, we offer you:
- Full-time employment for three years in a large research institute hosting about 40 scientists of different backgrounds (clinicians, engineers, and computer scientists).
- A gross salary comprising a living allowance and mobility allowance, calculated according to MSCA rules and local tax laws (approx. €4,000 gross/month)
- High-quality training programs and other support to grow into a self-aware, autonomous scientific researcher, both via the training programme to be implemented within the ThromboRisk doctoral network, as via the resources and programs being available at the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin
- Opportunity to supervise your own bachelor and/or master thesis projects as part of your doctoral project
Informationen zur Stelle
- The position’s salary is outside of the collective labor agreement of Charité according to the MSCA funding guidelines
- This full time position is limited until 31 August 2029.
- The application period ends on: 31 March 2026
- Position ID: 6325
Eligibility criteria
Supported researchers must be doctoral candidates, i. e. not already in possession of a doctoral degree at the date of the recruitment.
Recruited researchers can be of any nationality and must comply with the following mobility rule: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Germany for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment date. Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays and time spent by the researcher as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention are not considered.
