Doctoral Student in Engineering (m/f/d)

Klingt spannend? Das sind wir:

The Division of Phoniatrics and Pediatric Audiology ( Phoniatrie und Pädaudiologie ( https://www.hno-klinik.uk-erlangen.de/phoniatrie/ ) ) at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery of Universitätsklinikum Erlangen focuses on the diagnosis, treatment, and research of disorders of human communication, particularly voice, language, speech, swallowing, and pediatric hearing. Its aim is to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying functional, physiological, and biomechanical mechanisms and to derive new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for patients of all ages. The division conducts both clinical and basic research. We are looking for a dedicated doctoral candidate for a newly approved, externally funded research project.

The interdisciplinary research project “From Structure to Sound” investigates how the extracellular matrix (ECM) composition of vocal fold tissue determines its biomechanical properties, vibration dynamics and resulting acoustic characteristics. The project combines clinical voice research, ex-vivo larynx experiments, histological and molecular tissue analysis, high-speed imaging, aerodynamic/acoustic measurements and OCT-based biomechanical characterization. The long-term aim is to establish a mechanistic understanding of structure–function relationships in vocal folds and to contribute to future precision diagnostics and minimally invasive ECM-targeted therapies for voice disorders.

Die Aufgaben

• Tasks

• Establishing and optimizing experimental protocols for the selective manipulation of extracellular matrix components in ex-vivo vocal fold tissue.

• Performing and further developing ex-vivo phonation experiments to investigate how altered tissue structure affects vocal fold vibration and voice-related outcome parameters.

• Supporting structural and molecular tissue analyses to validate ECM manipulation and relate tissue composition to biomechanical and functional changes.

• Acquiring, processing and analyzing multimodal experimental data, including high-speed imaging, acoustic signals, airflow, subglottal pressure and tissue-analysis results.

• Contributing to joint measurement campaigns that combine ex-vivo phonation experiments with OCT-based biomechanical characterization methods.

• Performing statistical analyses to identify relationships between ECM composition, viscoelastic tissue properties, vocal fold dynamics and acoustic output.

• Preparing scientific publications, conference contributions and project-related documentation.

Das Know-how dafür

• Requirements

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Medical Engineering, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Molecular Science, Life Science Engineering or a related discipline.

• Strong interest in experimental biomedical research, soft-tissue biomechanics, and/or voice production.

• Experience with experimental work, ideally including biological tissue handling, ex-vivo models, imaging, biomechanical testing or synchronized measurement systems.

• Basic knowledge of signal and image processing; experience with MATLAB, Python, LabVIEW, SPSS, R or comparable tools is advantageous.

• Interest in histological, immunohistochemical and/or molecular-biological tissue analysis; prior laboratory experience is beneficial but not mandatory.

• Ability to work independently as well as in an interdisciplinary team involving engineering, medical, biological and clinical expertise.

• Good organizational skills, careful documentation and willingness to coordinate complex experimental workflows.

• Good written and spoken English; knowledge of German is advantageous but not mandatory.

Das bieten wir:

• Einen krisensicheren Arbeitsplatz mit allen Annehmlichkeiten eines Tarifvertrages, inkl. Zusatzvorsorge der Versorgungsanstalt des Bundes und der Länder (VBL), bei uns als systemrelevantem Arbeitgeber im öffentlichen Dienst
• Eine interessante Tätigkeit in einem motivierten, aufgeschlossenen Team
• Sorgfältige und qualifizierte Einarbeitung
• Ein umfassendes Angebot zur Gesundheitsförderung
• Beabsichtigte Eingruppierung, je nach Qualifikation und persönlichen Voraussetzungen, gemäß TV-L
• Es handelt sich um eine Vollzeitstelle, diese ist grundsätzlich auch teilzeitfähig

Ansprechperson bei Fragen:

PD Dr. -Ing. Marion Semmler

Department of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Division Phoniatrics and Pedaudiology

Telefon: 09131 85-43979

Bewerbung an:

Universitätsklinikum Erlangen

HNO-Klinik

Abt. Phoniatrie

PD Dr. -Ing Marion Semmler

Waldstr. 1

91054 Erlangen