About this role
Select how often (in days) to receive an alert: PhD Candidate Bioengineering Autonomic Innervation & Optogenetic Control in 3D Tissue Models Welcome to Maastricht University! Help us build the first optogenetically controllable model of sympathetic innervation in engineered 3D tissue, combining stem cell biology, genetic engineering, and advanced imaging. In this PhD project, you will establish iPSC-derived sympathetic neurons within 3D hydrogel-based tissue models and develop electrophysiological recordings to achieve a functional, label-free readout of neuronal activity. Alongside this, you will apply genetic engineering to introduce optogenetic tools, creating complementary optical approaches for stimulation and readout within the same 3D environment. PhD Candidate: Bioengineering Autonomic Innervation & Optogenetic Control in 3D Tissue Models - Our goal: The aim of this PhD project is to develop integrated 3D tissue models by combining iPSC-derived sympathetic neurons with hydrogel-based systems, and to establish functional, label-free readouts of neuronal activity using electrophysiological and optogenetic approaches. - Your colleagues: This position is embedded within our research group (Neural Engineering), part of the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, which focuses on tissue innervation and combines biofabrication, stem cell biology, genetic engineering, and advanced imaging to build physiologically representative in vitro models of the peripheral and autonomic nervous system. You will work closely with the PI and collaborate with colleagues across cell biology, bioengineering, and imaging within the group. As a PhD candidate, you will pursue two closely integrated aims: establishing an iPSC-derived sympathetic neuron population integrated into our 3D hydrogel-based tissue models, and developing electrode electrophysiological recording within that same 3D environment to provide a functional, label-free read...