Multiple Post-Doctoral Fellows - Computational Physiology department
Deadline: 31.12.2020
Simula Research Laboratory AS
Simula Research Laboratory AS is a publicly owned research lab located at Fornebu, just outside of Oslo, Norway. Simula conducts Information and Communication Technology (ICT) research in the fields of scientific computing, software engineering, communication systems, machine learning and cybersecurity.
Simula's main objective is to create knowledge about fundamental scientific challenges that are of genuine value for society. This is achieved through high-quality research, education of graduate students, industry collaboration, technology transfer, and commercialization. Since 2001, scientific evaluations conducted by the Research Council of Norway have repeatedly placed Simula at the forefront of international research in ICT. The most recent in-depth evaluation was published in 2017, grading the full range of research at Simula as “excellent”.
Simula appreciates diversity. We currently employ approximately 155 individuals from 35 countries and strive to create a family-friendly working environment. We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage women to apply.
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Call for Multiple Post-Doctoral Fellows in Simulation of Cardiac Devices & Drugs for in-silico Testing and Certification
In the Computational Physiology department, we are now seeking a number of PostDoctoral Fellows to work in a project funded under the EU Horizon 2020 programme regarding computational modeling of the heart. Initially, the candidates are hired for 2 years, but with a possibility of extension.
Project description
Cardiac modelling has observed tremendous progress over the last few decades, and personalisation to clinical data enabled us to quantitatively evaluate realism and predictive power of these models. With all these efforts over the last 20 years, there is now enough confidence in the potential of these models in order to envisage their use in the design and testing of clinical products. However, there is still a crucial need to standardise and homogenise these approaches in order to enable cardiac modelling to not only impact the design and testing but also to enter the regulatory pathway. In this project, we selected a small number of cardiac devices and drugs that already have advanced results on the simulation side, and we will demonstrate how we can set up a standardised and rigorous approach for in silico clinical trials. This has the potential to move cardiac models into the next level of clinical adoption and regulatory process.
Topics
Personalized atrial fluid dynamics
The goal of this work is to generate an in-silico personalised left atrial haemodynamic simulation platform to identify the risk of thrombus formation in atrial fibrillation patients. The second goal is to improve patient selection for implantation of medical devices and optimise their settings (e.g. size, positioning). Specific objectives include development of a computational pipeline for generating patient-specific meshes and patient-specific boundary conditions for a large number of cases. Perform sensitivity analyses and model calibration to determine optimal methodological choices in fluid simulations. Assess verification and validation studies to assess the credibility of the developed models. Derive in-silico haemodynamic indices to assess the risk of thrombus formation and predict the benefit of left atrial appendage occluder (LAAO) implantation. Optimise medical devices implementation to minimise the risk of device-related thrombus in combination with appropriate drug therapy.
Simulation of drug effects on cardiac electromechanics
This project includes development of populations of cellular electrophysiological models in healthy and disease conditions (atrial fibrillation, heart failure, myocardial infarction, and mutations) and the determination of simulated drug effects on these models, with consideration for gender and age will be taken into account. Integration of these models with outputs from personalised pharmacokinetic models developed with participating partners will be considered to estimate drug concentrations. Main focus will be the development of populations of 1D and 2D electromechanical models, and construction of representative populations of 3D electromechanical models in healthy and disease conditions for virtual drug safety and efficacy testing.
First, we will develop a standardised description of in-silico models, personalisation from clinical data, and simulation output. This is necessary in order to unify the various types of biophysical simulations that we will perform in this project. Second, we will integrate three different industrial use cases in a cloud-based platform based on this standardisation, which will enable us to run in-silico trials (in WP5).
Candidate Profile
The candidate must have a completed (before the position starts) PhD degree in Biomedical Engineering, Mathematics, or Computer Science with excellent grades.
Knowledge of ODE or PDE based computational physiological modeling. Experience with cardiac models is preferred.
Excellent level of spoken and written English, good interpersonal and communication skills, be curious and creative, and show the willingness to learn and work as part of an international team. The candidate has to be highly motivated and goal oriented to reach specific project goals.
Simula Offers
Excellent opportunities for performing high quality research, as part of a highly competent and motivated team of international researchers and engineers;
An informal and inclusive international working environment;
Generous support for travel and opportunities to build international networks, through established collaboration with industry, exchange programs and research visits with other universities, and funding to attend conferences.
Modern office facilities located at Fornebu by the Oslo fjord and 10 minutes' drive from the center of Oslo.
A competitive salary. Starting salary from NOK 535.200/year
Numerous benefits: access to company cabin, Baby Bonus arrangements, sponsored social events, generous equipment budgets (e.g., computer, phone and subscription), subsidized canteen meals and monthly bus pass, comprehensive travel/health insurance policy, etc.
Relocation assistance: accommodation, visas, complimentary Norwegian language courses, etc
Administrative research support: e.g., quality assurance process for grant proposals (including RCN and EU programs).
Wellness and work-life balance. Our employees' health and well-being is a priority and we encourage them to make use of our flexible work arrangements to help balance their work and home lives efficiently.
Simula is an equal opportunity employer, and women are particularly encouraged to apply.
Application Requirements
Interested applicants are requested to submit the following:
A cover letter explaining the candidate's background, qualifications, research interests and how/why the candidate is qualified for the position;
Curriculum vitae (summarizing education, positions and academic or industrial work, scientific publications, and software development experience);
Academic transcripts including a copy of PhD thesis (if available).
Contact information of two references, including the PhD supervisor(s).
Application deadline: December 31, 2020.
Preferred start date January 2021.
Contact
Additional enquiries regarding the position can be addressed to:
Simula Research Laboratory uses Semac´s background check in our recruitment process.
According to the Norwegian Freedom and Information Act (Offentleglova) information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure.
