PhD Positions in Regenerative Biomaterials, Smart Drug Delivery, and Metallic Glass Nanowires

Informal call open – Express your interest by 10.07.2025

The INNOVATION Lab at the University of Eastern Piedmont (UPO) is recruiting highly motivated researchers and PhD students for the 4D-REVIVE project, funded by the Fondo Italiano per la Scienza (FIS). 4D-REVIVE aims to develop a Multifunctional Conductive Cardiac Patch for myocardial regeneration by combining 4D bioprinting, smart drug delivery, and metallic glass nanotechnology.

The project is carried out in collaboration with the University of Michigan and Politecnico di Torino, and is funded with €1.37 million over a 36-month duration.

We are based in Novara (Italy) at CAAD – Center of Excellence for Translational Research on Autoimmune and Allergic Diseases, part of the research infrastructure of the Piedmont Region. It is envisaged that the PhD student recruited will work at CAAD and she/he will be seconded at the partners of the project for at least 3 months.

4D-REVIVE is a highly interdisciplinary project spanning hydrogel engineering, protein delivery, bioprinting, and materials science. We are currently seeking three profiles to join our team:

Available profiles:

Drug Delivery and Protein Encapsulation
Focus: Controlled release of therapeutic proteins from injectable/bioprintable hydrogels.
Background: Pharmaceutical sciences, biomedical engineering, Materials Science, or related fields with expertise in drug delivery systems.

Hydrogel Engineering and 4D Bioprinting
Focus: Development of bioresponsive hydrogels suitable for 4D bioprinting and cardiac patch fabrication.
Background: materials science, tissue engineering, polymer science, or related fields with experience in hydrogels and bioprinting.

Metallic Glass
Focus: Fabrication, characterization, and integration of different classes of metallic glasses including shape memory metallic glass wires within soft biomaterials.
Background: Materials science, nanotechnology, or related fields with knowledge of metallic glasses or nanomaterials for biomedical applications.

IMPORTANT: This call is for expressions of interest only, not a formal application. If interested, please send your signed CV (PDF) and a short motivation message indicating which profile you are applying for to lia.rimondini@med.uniupo.it, elham.sharifikolouei@uniupo.it, and andrea.cochis@med.uniupo.it