Call for applications

Ph.D. Student for Simulation of Microfluidic Systems (m/f/d, full time E13)

19.12.2022, Wissenschaftliches Personal

We are an active and lively research group which is passionate about science. We are working in an environment which may best be characterized by the passion to accomplish something new—complemented by teamwork and fostering personal relationships. From assistants, students, researchers, postdocs to professors; we are all working hand in hand, are highly committed, and engaged with our work. We know how to celebrate our successes, but also how to get through setbacks together!

Our Research

We currently develop methods and software tools that aid the design of microfluidic devices (also known as Labs-on-a-Chip). While these devices are mainly designed manually thus far, we investigate methods that eventually will automate crucial design steps. To this end, our work covers the entire design cycle for microfluidic chips, categorized in the following abstraction levels:

• Microfluidic use cases and their specifications: We focus our work on a wide range of microfluidic devices. These include (but are not limited to) droplet microfluidics, Organs-on-Chips, microfluidic fuel cells, and more.
• Design automation: We develop various tools that make the design of microfluidic chips easier and solve, e.g., routing and placing problems under different constraints, depending on the use case.
• Simulation: We use and develop simulators (on various abstraction levels using, e.g., Computational Fluid Dynamics) which enables us to verify designs of microfluidic devices even before the first prototype is fabricated.
• Fabrication: We have a state-of-the-art lab (Leica digital microscope DVM6, Formlabs 3+ 3D printer, Cellix microfluidic pump system) for the production and testing of prototypes, which allows us to validate the simulation methods and make a design ready for production.

In this field, we are involved in a consortial project with stakeholders from academia and industry to establish those tools for practical applications. For an overview of our previous work, please check out our web pages on software/design automation for microfluidics (www.cda.cit.tum.de/research/microfluidics/). In the future, we are aiming to extend our activities and are looking for candidates with (one or more of) of the following expertise:

• Verification and validation of designs through fabrication.
• (Bio-)chemical and/or medical applications of microfluidic devices.
• Simulation for microfluidics. (CFD)
• High Performance Computing and/or GPU programming for this domain.
• Machine learning algorithms for this domain
• Clean energy solutions (e.g., microfluidic fuel cells)

Your Profile

We are looking for a Ph.D. student who is willing to learn and explore new topics while playing nice in a team. Your main task will be the development, conceptualization, and eventual implementation of new simulation methods and software for the design of microfluidics. Our focus on interdisciplinary partnerships and networks will enable you to meet many interesting people (at places all over the world) and present your work at top-notch conferences and journals in our domain.

You should have completed your Master/Diploma studies with top grades in Computer Science, Mathematics, Engineering, Chemistry, Physics or a similar subject. Most importantly, you should be creative, passionate about research, driven by curiosity, and be able to think outside-of-the-box. You will need strong coding skills to design highly efficient algorithms. A focus in fabrication, and ideally interest (or even first lab experiences) in microfluidics is obviously a big advantage.

Join our Team

While we are obviously interested in your CV and background (if applicable, please also add your list of publications, projects, cooperations, etc. as well as your GitHub profile). Most importantly however, tell us what motivates you to join our team and which of the four abstraction levels for microfluidic design fits best for you. Let us know why you would be a great candidate! We are looking forward to hearing from you! Please send your application (in English or German) to Prof. Dr. Robert Wille (robert.wille@tum.de).

Severely disabled applicants will be given preference if they are essentially of the same suitability and qualifications. The Technical University of Munich aims to increase the proportion of women, so applications from women are expressly welcomed.

Kontakt: robert.wille@tum.de