PhD Position Biomechanical Engineering 100 %

PhD position in the field of soft tissue biomechanics: Be part of a translational research project combining experimental and numerical mechanics with AI-based optimization pipelines to improve pediatric orthosis designs.

School:

School of Engineering

Starting date:

immediately or by agreement

Your role

• Drive independent research in the field of computational and experimental continuum mechanics
• Collaborate with industrial partners, clinical and research partners within an Innosuisse funded project in the field of biomedical engineering and artificial intelligence
• Publish research results at international conferences and in peer reviewed journals
• Contribute to teaching and supervision of bachelor and master theses

Your profile

• University Master degree in (bio-)mechanical engineering, material science, civil engineering or similar
• Strong background in continuum mechanics
• Skilled in programming (e.g. Python) and Finite Element simulations
• Experience in performing experiments and analyzing data.
• Motivated to independently navigate an interdisciplinary and collaborative project

We kindly invite you to submit your application by April 5, 2026.

This is what we stand for

Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW is one of Switzerland's largest multidisciplinary universities of applied sciences, with over 14'000 students and 3'400 faculty and staff.

ZHAW is committed to gender-mixed and diverse teams in order to promote equality, diversity and innovation.

IMES Institute of Mechanical Systems, ZHAW School of Engineering
At the IMES Institute of Mechanical Systems, we drive innovation in Mechanical Engineering through applied research, cutting-edge technology, and strong industry collaboration. Our interdisciplinary teams develop smart, sustainable solutions in areas such as lightweight structures, mechanical modelling & manufacturing and biomechanics.

The research fields in Biomechanical Engineering (BME) are Surgical Technologies, Soft Tissue Biomechanics and Rehabilitation Engineering. Close collaborations with clinics and industry allow us to translate our engineering approaches into real and patient-individualized solutions. Within the research field of Soft Tissue Biomechanics, we develop test setups and protocols to characterize and analyze the non-linear and viscoelastic response of biological tissues and structures and biomedical materials at different length scales. We combine the experimental approach with numerical models for material model calibration, parameter identification and detailed analyses of the microstructural kinematics of multiscale materials. In collaboration with partners in Biology, we perform studies in mechanobiology investigating the interplay between micromechanics and the response of cells.
The BME group consists of a young and interdisciplinary team and is looking for you to drive the applied research of tomorrow.

The PhD is running in the framework of the PhD Programme Biomedical Science and Health Innovations together with ETH Zurich (Co-Supervision by Prof. Dr. Edoardo Mazza, Experimental Continuum Mechanics Lab). The workspace is located at ZHAW in Winterthur.
https://www.zhaw.ch/en/engineering/institutes-centres/imes/biomechanical-engineering

Experimental Continuum Mechanics Lab,
Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, ETH Zurich
In an integrated approach, we develop new experimental tools, advanced theories and computational models to investigate the mechanics of biological tissues, soft materials and the mechanobiology of living systems. Characteristic features of soft biological tissues include large strain viscoelasticity, poroelasticity, anisotropy, and loading history dependence of the mechanical response. Their heterogeneous microstructure leads to significant differences of stiffness and kinematics depending on the considered length scale. The construction, execution, analysis, and interpretation of corresponding experiments represent some of our core activities. Experimental observations are rationalized using advanced continuum models as well as discrete fiber network models. Recent investigations include the study of chemo-electro-mechanical coupled processes in soft tissues and hydrogels.
While we contribute to fundamental research in continuum mechanics, we aim at applying our results to problem of societal relevance, in collaboration with industry and clinical partners.
In teaching, we are responsible for basic as well as advanced courses at ETH Zurich.

What you can expect

We offer working conditions and terms of employment commensurate with higher education institutions and actively promote personal development for staff in leadership and non-leadership positions. A detailed description of advantages and benefits can be found at Working at the ZHAW. The main points are listed below:

Contact

Barbara Röhrnbauer
Professor for Tissue Biomechanics, IMES ZHAW School of Engineering

+41 58 934 41 97

Irina Keiser
Recruiting Manager