PhD position in Soft Active Matter Microrobots for Medicine (SAM3) Empa in Switzerland

Empa is recruiting one PhD candidate for the Marie Curie Doctoral Network SAM3: Soft Active Matter Microrobots for Medicine. The project sits at the intersection of materials science, soft robotics, microrobotics, and medical technology, with a focus on designing and characterizing advanced architectured materials for endoscopic applications in the ear, nose, and throat region.

The PhD project, designated SAM3/ESR12, will investigate the design, synthesis, and multiscale characterization of materials for soft robotics applications. The research goal is to computationally design, using a simulation-guided approach, and synthesize via light-based 3D printing, metamaterials tailored for medical soft robotic systems. The work will further study morphology, microstructure, and mechanical behaviour under varying environmental and boundary conditions in order to establish structure–property–function relationships.

The broader doctoral network aims to explore three challenging clinical access routes from a microrobotics perspective: access to the middle ear through the Eustachian tube, access to the olfactory clefts for mucosal biopsy, and access to the skull cavity through the nose and cribble plate for cerebrospinal fluid biopsy. The selected PhD student will contribute materials-enabled solutions that support these ambitions.

The candidate will be enrolled in the Doctoral School for Materials Science and Engineering (EDMX) at EPFL in Lausanne and co-supervised by Dr. Jakob Schwiedrzik and Prof. Johann Michler. The main research base is the Laboratory for High Performance Ceramics at Empa in Dübendorf, Switzerland, a lab equipped for simulation, chemical processing, DLP and two-photon lithography, Raman spectroscopy, electron microscopy, nanoindentation, macroscopic mechanical testing, and humidity-controlled experiments.

The position includes research stays of 3 months at ULB for metamaterial design, 3 months at UMONS for synthesis of soft robotics materials, and a 5-month industrial secondment at Alemnis AG for micromechanical testing of metamaterial structures. These placements offer exposure to academic and industrial expertise across Belgium and Switzerland.

Applicants should hold a Master degree or diploma in materials science, mechanical engineering, or a related field. The call targets early-career researchers with less than 5 years of experience and no doctoral degree. A strong background in mechanics of materials and simulations is expected, while experience with electron microscopy, nanoindentation, or light-based 3D printing is considered an advantage. The ideal candidate is highly motivated, collaborative, and comfortable with modelling, experiments, writing, and communication. Good English is required, while German or French is an asset.

The appointment is for 3 years full time, with a starting date from October 2026. The application deadline is 31 August 2026, though the position remains open until filled. Applications should be emailed to [email protected] and include academic certificates with official English transcripts, a detailed CV, a motivation letter in English, and two letters of recommendation.