Postdoctoral Researcher

Job Title: Postdoctoral Researcher Department: Anatomy & Regenerative Medicine/CVRI Dublin Reporting to: Prof Osama Soliman, Deputy Director, CVRI Dublin Location: Mater Private Network/RCSI Contract/Duration: Specified Purpose Remuneration: Aligned with the IUA Researchers PDR salary, dependent on experience RCSI is a community of academic, research, clinical and professional staff working collaboratively to lead the world to better health. Here, you will thrive in an innovative and inclusive atmosphere and your personal development and wellbeing will be supported. We invite you to join us to help deliver on our exciting mission "To educate, nurture and discover for the benefit of human health". We seek candidates whose experience to date has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to the "Race Equality Action Plan 2025-2029" at RCSI. Our students come from all walks of life and so do we. We hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds. This makes our university stronger and ensures we hire the best talent. Innovating for a Healthier Future 2023-2027 is RCSI's new five-year strategic plan. Through it, RCSI will enhance human health by meeting the health workforce needs of society, creating the insights and inventions that drive health improvements, and working in partnership with patients and the public in support of better health and well-being for all. The strategy unites the RCSI community in supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals - with a particular focus on Goal 3, which targets good health and well-being. For each of the last six years, RCSI has been positioned in the Top 300 of universities worldwide in the Times Higher World University Rankings. We are proud that RCSI ranks fifth in the world for "Good Health and Well-being" in the Times Higher Education #SDG #SDG Impact Rankings 2024. This reflects our commitment to supporting people of all ages to live healthy lives and our work to promote the concepts of well-being and positive health. In 2024, RCSI was delighted to be named one of the Sunday Times Best Places to Work in Ireland. At RCSI, our core values of Respect, Collaboration, Scholarship, and Innovation are at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to creating an inclusive and supportive environment where every colleague is valued and empowered to thrive. Our dedication to these values ensures that we foster a culture of mutual respect, open collaboration, continuous learning, and innovative thinking. Join us at RCSI, where your contributions will be recognised, and you will be part of a dynamic team making a real impact on global health. About Our Research RCSI recognises that excellence in research is critical to the quality of its educational activities, its credibility, and, overall, to its mission to enhance human health. RCSI's research strategy aims to build upon its strength in translational biomedical and clinical research to deliver transformational, high impact changes in health care. Targeting both Irish national and EU funding, along with increased collaboration with industry, is a major part of the RCSI research strategy. Forging increased collaboration between RCSI PIs and industry is of critical importance to achieving success in this area. RCSI is also committed to provide its researchers with the supports and developmental opportunities to enable them to continuously grow and support their overall career development. Summary of Post This role is based at the Cardiovascular Research Institute (CVRI) in Dublin, Mater Private Hospital in Dublin, and RCSI in Dublin We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced engineer with a strong background in cardiovascular engineering to join our research team at RCSI Dublin. The successful candidate will contribute to the development of a digital twin of the right heart and support the design, modeling, and testing of a novel Right Ventricular Assist Device (RVAD) as part of the RightHeartWise project, funded by the European Innovation Council (EIC). This position is embedded within a highly interdisciplinary team of clinicians, physiologists, and engineers, and will be central to the development of patient-specific right heart failure models and digital twin technologies aimed at optimizing RVAD performance. Specifically, the duties of the post are: The successful candidate will work as part of Prof Soliman's Lab at both RCSI and the Mater Private Hospital. Key Responsibilities The successful candidate will be responsible for: Developing and validating lumped-parameter models of the cardiovascular system, with a focus on the right heart. Creating and refining patient-specific digital twins for right ventricular failure using multi-modal clinical data (imaging, hemodynamics, EHRs). Collaborating with cardiologists, imaging experts, and physiologists to interpret clinical data and translate it into model parameters. Supporting the design and iterative optimization of RVADs tailored to individual patient physiology. Conducting in vitro bench-top testing of RVAD prototypes under simulated physiological conditions. Assisting in data integration, model calibration, and optimization algorithm development for device personalization. Contributing to project dissemination, including conference presentations, publications, and reporting to the EIC. Qualifications - (Essential): PhD in Biomedical Engineering, Cardiovascular Engineering, or closely related field (or thesis submitted and awaiting defense). In-depth understanding of cardiovascular physiology, particularly right ventricular function and failure. Proficiency in MATLAB or equivalent scientific computing languages for simulation and modeling. Proven experience in mathematical modeling of biological or physical systems. Demonstrated ability to work effectively within interdisciplinary clinical-engineering teams. Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English. Knowledge and Experience - Essential Hands-on experience with lumped-parameter cardiovascular modeling. Prior involvement in EIC/ERC-funded research projects or advanced proposal writing. Research experience in medical engineering, particularly involving patient data integration. Familiarity with clinical datasets from imaging, hemodynamic monitoring, or electronic health records. Experience with optimization algorithms and statistical methods for model fitting and personalization. Background in right heart failure pathophysiology and VAD modeling. Track record of presenting original research at international peer-reviewed conferences. Practical experience in in vitro cardiovascular device testing and benchtop simulations. Desirable Experience in regulatory science, clinical trial coordination, or medical device development. Knowledge of ISO 14155, MDR 2017/745, or FDA IDE pathway. Experience in cardiovascular imaging or animal models of heart failure. Familiarity with DICOM, in silico modelling tools, or core lab image analysis is a plus. Ability to manage timelines and contribute to multi-stakeholder coordination. We are all too aware that imposter syndrome and the confidence gap can sometimes stop fantastic candidates putting themselves forward, so please do submit an application - we'd love to hear from you. Application Process Please apply online through the RCSI careers portal by the closing date, submitting your CV and cover letter. Informal Enquiries can be directed to NAME: Please note we do not accept CVs directly. Click here to read our Recruitment and Selection Policy for Researcher.