CDTnet PhD Fellowship F12: In Silico Trials on Heart Failure Using a Digital Twin Platform Maastricht University in Netherlands

CDTnet PhD Fellowship F12: In Silico Trials on Heart Failure Using a Digital Twin Platform is a funded PhD position at Maastricht University, within the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM) in the Netherlands.

The project focuses on building a cardiovascular digital twin platform to support patient-specific therapy planning and virtual clinical trials for heart failure. The doctoral researcher will develop personalised computational models of heart failure patients, with particular attention to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and diastolic dysfunction. The work combines clinical observations, physiological knowledge, and computational modelling to simulate the effects of pacing therapies and to evaluate treatment strategies before they are tested in clinical practice.

A distinctive feature of the project is the use of novel intramyocardial sensor data produced within CDTnet. These sensors provide information on cardiac relaxation, compliance, and filling pressures, enabling continuous refinement of the digital twin models and supporting therapy optimisation. The project will also use data from ongoing clinical studies, preclinical experiments, and large-scale computational simulations to generate virtual patient populations and conduct in silico trials aligned with emerging regulatory standards for computational evidence generation.

The PhD student will work in an interdisciplinary environment at the interface of biomedical engineering, physiology, and clinical application. Planned secondments include Oslo University Hospital in Norway for experimental data collection and validation of virtual pacing simulations, and the Medtronic Bakken Research Center in the Netherlands for implementing and evaluating pacing strategies within the digital twin platform.

Applicants should hold a Master’s degree or equivalent in a relevant field such as Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Medical Technology, Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science, or Cardiovascular Science. The post asks for strong quantitative and programming skills, familiarity or interest in cardiovascular physiology and modelling, and excellent English communication. MSCA eligibility conditions apply, including mobility rules and the requirement that candidates do not already hold a doctoral degree.

The position is funded through Horizon Europe / MSCA Marie Curie Grant Agreement No. 101312147. Applications are submitted via the CDTnet website, and the deadline is 30 September 2026.