PhD Student (M/F) - Engineering a skeletal muscle-on-a-chip

Role: PhD Student (M/F) - Engineering a skeletal muscle-on-a-chip
Organization: CNRS - National Center for Scientific Research
Department: Laboratoire interdisciplinaire de physique
Location: ST MARTIN D HERES, France
Contract Type: Temporary, Full-time (35 hours/week)
Start Date: 1 Oct 2026
Application Deadline: 26 Jun 2026 - 23:59 (UTC)

Job Overview:
The student will primarily work at LIPhy in Grenoble, with some assignments at the laboratory of Dr. N. Didier in Créteil. The PhD will be conducted within the MicroTiss team. Skeletal muscle plays essential roles in locomotion, respiration, thermoregulation, and metabolic homeostasis. Its integrity is critically compromised in a wide range of conditions such as myopathies or age-related sarcopenia and chronic diseases including cancer and diabetes. Despite major progress in disease modeling and regenerative therapies, current in vitro models of human skeletal muscle fail to reproduce the physiological complexity of native muscle tissue, particularly its spatial organization, cellular complexity and domain-specific functionality.

Our team already demonstrated the feasibility and performance of engineered 3D muscle tissues. The PhD aims to engineer a next-generation muscle-on-a-chip platform that replicates not only the structural and contractile features of muscle fibers, but also integrates the two critical anatomical and functional interfaces: neuromuscular junctions and myotendinous junctions.

Responsibilities:
The PhD student will be in charge of the design, fabrication, optimization and characterization of the platform.
- Design will be created using CAD software and fabricated using stereolithographic 3D-printing of resin.
- The geometric and mechanical properties of the platform will be assessed using optical microscopy and a micromechanical testing system.
- Biological compatibility will be first evaluated in LIPhy using immortalized cell lines before assessing the formation and maturation of muscle tissues with collaborator N. Didier (IMRB Créteil).

Qualifications and Requirements:
- Education Level: Master Degree or equivalent in Pharmacological sciences, Engineering, or Technology.
- Research Experience: None required.
- Languages: French (Basic level).
- The position offers highly interdisciplinary training in bioengineering.

What They Offer:
The PhD will provide a highly interdisciplinary training to the student, who will acquire skills in different aspects of bioengineering:
- Cell culture
- CAD
- Stereolithographic 3D printing
- Soft replication
- Micromechanical testing
- Immunostaining
- Fluorescence microscopy and image analysis (ImageJ, Python)
- Long-term project management
- Teamwork
- Scientific communication

Note: Communications within the lab will be in English.