Marie Skłodowska-Curie Studentship for PhD students at CÚRAM & UCD, Ireland

Organisation/Company

UCD

Department

Centre of Micro/Nano Manufacturing Technology School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering

Research Field

Engineering » Microengineering
Other

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

Ireland

Application Deadline

15 Mar 2024 – 23:59 (Europe/Dublin)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Hours Per Week

40

Offer Starting Date

1 Nov 2024

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

HE / MSCA

Marie Curie Grant Agreement Number

101126640

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

The Medical Device Doctoral (MedDevDoc) program aims to address the gap between academic MedTech research and clinical translation by training doctoral students at CÚRAM, SFI Research Centre for Medical Devices. University College Dublin (UCD) is one of the host organisations of CÚRAM, which is also one of the leading universities in biomedical engineering in Ireland. This project is funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe Excellent Science programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 101126640.

Project descriptions:

Title: High throughput molecular detection device utilising solid-state nanopore array for high-accuracy and high-efficiency detection

Nanopore-based DNA sequencing has obtained great commercial and scientific success. However, key limitations include using biological nanopores (large molecules from nature) to detect the targets one by one at a temporal sequence, which imposes significant limitations on the detectable target size and detection efficiency. This project utilises solid-state nanopore array chips (nanopores formed in biocompatible engineering materials) to detect molecules of various sizes. Millions of nanopores are used in the chip to change the conventional temporal-sequence detection to spatial-distribution-based detection based on an extremely innovative device design, and facilitated by AI technology. This method can be applied for virus detection, early-stage cancer diagnosis, proteins identification, DNA sequencing, etc. This project is hosted by the Centre of Micro/Nano Manufacturing Technology (https://www.mnmt-dublin.org/ ) at University College Dublin.

The target candidates are MSc students with background in molecular biology, life science, medical device, nanotechnology, biochemistry, physics, or related disciplines. The successful applicants will be recruited for a maximum of 4 years PhD research in the area of single molecule detection based on nanopore chips, including a mandatory secondment (six months) to a non-academic research partner appropriate to further the student’s research, training, and career development needs.

Requirements

Research Field

Other

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

MedDevDoc are open to candidates who have a 1st class or a 2:1 honour first degree and
have/are due to obtain a Master’s in disciplines mentioned above from different genders and
nationalities. They must not already own a doctoral degree. Medical Doctors are also invited
to apply if they can demonstrate an understanding of the clinical or life sciences research
process. 
 All applicants for whom first language is not English must present an English language
qualification taken within two years before the application (Suggested English language
qualifications include IELTS, Cambridge C1 Advanced, Cambridge C2 Advanced, TOEFL
iBT/TOEFL iBT Home Edition, Pearson PTE and Duolingo) 
 Comply with the MSCA mobility rule: have not resided or carried out their main activity
(work, studies, etc.) in Ireland for more than 12 months in the three years immediately before
the submission deadline.  Compulsory national service and short stays such as holidays are
not considered.

Specific Requirements

The applicants who are interested in this position must contact the PI, Dr Jufan Zhang at UCD for more details before submitting the application. Please send your CV to [email protected] and indicate your interest.

Languages

ENGLISH

Level

Excellent

Additional Information
Benefits

Gross Salary: 
Remuneration aligns with EC rules for Marie Skłodowska- Curie COFUND grants:  
The minimum gross salary range for doctoral fellowships is from €30,901 to €37,726 per annum. 
The range depends on the applicant's eligibility, such as Mobility and Family allowance. Salaries are
subject to taxes and deductions, e.g., deduction of PRSI (employee social security) and income taxes.
For more information about tax entitlements, please go to https://www.revenue.ie/

Additional comments

Introduction of CÚRAM:
CÚRAM, SFI Research Centre for Medical Devices (CÚRAM – meaning "care" in the Irish
language) is a national, SFI-funded, 64.8 Million Euro research Centre that brings together
researchers from the University of Galway (GALWAY), University College Dublin (UCD), the Royal
College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), Trinity College Dublin (TCD), University of Limerick (UL),
Dublin City University (DCU), University College Cork (UCC), Technological University of the
Shannon (TUS), National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT), Technological
University Dublin (TU Dublin). CÚRAM's vision is to be a global leader in creating and translating
clinic-ready and patient-focused medical devices, develop the next generation of industry-relevant,
publicly engaged researchers, and anchor for industry-applicable research. Cutting-edge science will
develop devices using the latest research from biomaterials, stem cells, and drug delivery and the
support of clinical solid collaborations, industry partners, and hospital groups to enable rapid
translation to the clinic. CÚRAM industry partners include Irish companies and multinationals in
medical device, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology.
Introduction of Marie Skłodowksa-Curie Studentships:
The MedDevDoc program is part of the Marie Skłodowksa-Curie Actions (MSCA), a European
Commission funding program under Horizon Europe. Named after the double Nobel prize-winning
Polish-French scientist Marie Skłodowksa-Curie, MSCA offers excellent and innovative research
training, attractive career development, and knowledge-exchange opportunities across borders and
sectors, e.g., academia and industry. Marie Skłodowksa-Curie Fellowships are internationally
recognised as a mark of research excellence.

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

4

Company/Institute

UCD

Country

Ireland

State/Province

Dublin

Geofield

Where to apply

E-mail

[email protected]

Contact

State/Province

Dublin

City

Dublin

Website

https://www.ucd.ie/mecheng/

Street

Belfield

Postal Code

D04 V1W8

E-Mail

[email protected]

STATUS: EXPIRED