视网膜模型微流控灌注仪器方向企业博士研究员

Microfluidic Perfusion Instrument for Retinal Models PANDORA is an MSCA Doctoral Network of 13 PhD students studying the role of the complement system in Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), the main cause of blindness in the elderly, and developing new ways to model and treat it. Your project is the development of a benchtop microfluidic instrument that keeps living retinal tissue alive outside the body for weeks. Unlike conventional static culture, where the medium is exchanged by hand every couple of days, your platform will recirculate the medium continuously through a closed loop, and you will build it from MIC's flow control technology, integrating sensors and feedback loops to give full control of the culture microenvironment. A key research question is how to recreate the low-oxygen conditions of the diseased retina, turning the platform into a disease model in its own right. You will validate it with consortium partners on retinal organoids and living retinal explants, including combination drug treatments, and evaluate its path to market. Place: based in Paris, 4 months of secondments within the consortium (Newcastle University, UK; University of Tübingen, Germany) PhD awarded by: Sorbonne Université (Paris) Research and development activities in brief • Design and develop a benchtop microfluidic perfusion instrument with continuous medium recirculation. • Integrate sensors and feedback control to monitor and regulate the culture microenvironment. • Investigate how to recreate low-oxygen conditions relevant to retinal disease. • Validate the platform with PANDORA partners using retinal organoids and living retinal explants. • Translate end-user needs into engineering specifications, consider intellectual property protection and evaluate commercial opportunities.

An entrepreneurial PhD at MIC MIC is a French SME based in Paris, developing microfluidic prototypes within European research consortia and translating them into products and opportunities for new ventures. The PhD combines scientific research with practical experience in product development. The ambition is to bring a new product to market before the end of the PhD, while learning hands-on how to identify a market, engage with end-users and protect intellectual property. The main project will be carried out at MIC headquarters in Paris under the supervision of Dr. Lisa Muiznieks. The candidate will work in an interdisciplinary team that values scientific rigour, initiative, creativity and collaboration. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement no. 101312030 (PANDORA).

Where to apply E-mail: lisa.muiznieks@microfluidic.fr

Requirements / required education level / degree: Master Degree or equivalent

Requirements / required education level / discipline: Engineering

Requirements / skills: Your profile to become the rockstar of the team ➔ You have a master's degree (or equivalent) in physics, engineering (bioengineering, mechatronics, engineering physics etc) or related fields. ➔ Ideally experience with one or more of the following: • Microfluidics • Cell culture (3D cultures or organoids) • Sensors or electronics • Python • CFD simulations • 3D CAD and 3D printing

➔ Strong interest in applying AI-based approaches on technical subjects (experience desirable) ➔ You are scientifically rigorous, creative, practical and results-driven. ➔ Fluency in English (IELTS 6.5 or equivalent for non-native speakers) ➔ Knowledge of French is a plus, but not required. ➔ You can think “outside the box” to find simple solutions to complicated problems, you like to tackle complex problems and bring your own proposals to the team. ➔ You don’t like routine, you take initiative and you’re able to quickly adapt to changes in direction. ➔ You want a job that makes sense, want to see the outcome of your PhD in the real world and not only on a lab shelf.

➔ At MIC, we like: Action; creative, autonomous and curious people, team players. Those who act more than they talk, people who challenge themselves and yet care about others. Those who question themselves, those who want an intense and contrasted life.

Requirements / required languages / language: ENGLISH

Requirements / required languages / language level: Excellent

Research experience / main research field: Engineering

Research experience / research sub field: Mechanical engineering

Research experience / years of research experience: None

Additional information / benefits: The position offers the opportunity to carry out a PhD within a microfluidics SME in Paris and contribute to the international, intersectoral PANDORA Doctoral Network. The candidate will gain practical experience in microfluidic instrument development, sensor integration and feedback control, alongside collaboration with partners working on retinal models. The EU provides 36 months support for each recruited researcher. MIC also offers hands-on exposure to entrepreneurship and market-driven research, including discussions with end-users, the translation of their needs into product specifications, intellectual property considerations and assessment of the platform’s commercial potential. Employment benefits include paid annual leave under the applicable rules, pension and provident insurance coverage, and reimbursement of work-related travel and subsistence expenses against receipts, within company limits and procedures. Annual leave may be taken in advance during the first year, subject to prior management approval. Gross salary: 42,000 € /year (48,000 € with family allowance, if eligible)

Additional information / eligibility criteria: The applicant: • shall not have resided or carried out his/her main activity (work, studies etc.) in France for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the recruitment date (unless as part of a compulsory national service or a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention). • shall not already be in possession of a doctoral degree (*). • can be of any nationality.

(*) researchers who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but who have not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree will not be considered eligible

Additional information / selection process: Please send your application to lisa.muiznieks@microfluidic.fr as a single PDF containing: • A detailed CV. • A motivation letter of no more than two pages, stating your level of English and the names and contact details of two previous mentors or collaborators who can act as references. • A mobility declaration listing all places where you have lived over the past three years, with city and country, dates in MM/YY format, and the main reason for each stay, such as work, study or family. Short vacations do not need to be declared.

For questions about the position, please contact Dr. Lisa Muiznieks at lisa.muiznieks@microfluidic.fr.

Doctoral candidates will be selected based on scientific qualification and experience, research interest, additional knowledge/skills and their motivation to participate in an intersectoral research-training program. The position is recruited in line with Open, Transparent, Merit-based (OTM) recruitment.

Applications open on 13 October 2026 and close on 13 November 2026. Remote evaluation and interviews are planned for November and December 2026. The fellowship is expected to start by April 2027.

Additional information / comment: About MIC Our vision A major technological revolution is underway in the world of biotechnology, which is accelerating progress in medicine like never before. Microfluidics is one of the cornerstones of this revolution. Our mission To accelerate the biotech revolution by developing innovative microfluidic prototypes within EU consortia, transforming them into market-ready products, and fostering the creation of deep-tech startups. Our company The Microfluidics Innovation Center (MIC) is a French SME based in Paris, created in 2011 and fully independent since 2024. Ten deep-tech startups have been spun out of our technologies to date. We are passionate, selective and demanding. In return, we offer you a dynamic and challenging work environment, and the possibility of career and personal development with no other limits than your own. Our culture ➔ No ordinary job, no ordinary days. We act! We think like generals and act like wildlings. We always seek to innovate in a way no one else would. Our vision and our passion drive us, as well as our clan and our mission. ➔ No single player either, we care about and for one another. Together, we are crossing an ocean to fulfill our mission; only sticking together will let us withstand the storms!

Work location / nr job positions: 1

Work location / job organisation institute: Microfluidics Innovation Center

Work location / job country: France

Work location / job state province: Ile de France

Work location / job city: Paris

Work location / job postal code: 75011

Work location / job street: 172 rue de Charonne

Hiring contact / organisation institute: Microfluidics Innovation Center

Hiring contact / organisation institute type: Small Medium Enterprise, Start-up

Hiring contact / country: France

Hiring contact / city: PARIS

Hiring contact / state province: Ile de France

Hiring contact / postal code: 75011

Hiring contact / street: 172 rue de Charonne

Hiring contact / e mail: lisa.muiznieks@microfluidic.fr

Hiring contact / website: https://microfluidics-innovation-center.com/

Application / how to apply: e-mail

Application / application email: lisa.muiznieks@microfluidic.fr

EU funding / framework programme: Horizon Europe - MSCA

EU funding / cofund nr job position: 1

EU funding / sesam agreement number: 101312030

Research field / main research field: Engineering

Research field / sub research field: Biomedical engineering

Research field / main research field: Neurosciences

Research field / sub research field: Neurobiology

Research field / main research field: Physics

Researcher profile: First Stage Researcher (R1)

Positions: PhD Positions

Contract: Temporary

Job status: Full-time

Application deadline (as exported; timezone unverified): 2026-11-13T17:00:00