PhD Position: Preclinical Porcine Allograft Model for Abdominal Wall Reconstruction Charles University in Czech Republic

Charles University, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, is recruiting a Doctoral Candidate for the BioMuscle Horizon Europe MSCA Doctoral Network project: Preclinical porcine allograft model for abdominal wall reconstruction.

This PhD focuses on developing and validating a preclinical porcine model for abdominal wall reconstruction using porcine-derived decellularized muscle matrices. The project aims to assess surgical feasibility, implantability, biological compatibility, early in vivo performance, tissue integration, remodelling, and host immune responses. The work is positioned at the intersection of experimental surgery, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, biomaterials, and veterinary medicine.

The doctoral candidate will work within an international research and training network that seeks to advance clinically translatable, patient-specific muscle grafts for functional tissue regeneration. The project includes collaboration with a related BioMuscle PhD position on perfusion-based recellularization, creating opportunities for complementary work across scaffold preparation, recellularization, and biological evaluation.

Training is an important part of the appointment. The successful candidate will benefit from interdisciplinary training, international collaboration, and two secondments in Belgium: one focused on decellularization procedures for porcine abdominal muscle and one on surgical techniques for abdominal wall reconstruction. Each secondment is expected to last about three months.

The position is based at the Biomedical Center of Charles University in Pilsen, Czech Republic. It is a full-time temporary PhD appointment for 36 months, with an expected start date of 1 April 2027. The post is funded under Horizon Europe MSCA Doctoral Networks, with a gross salary of €2790 per month excluding employer social and health contributions, and eligibility for mobility and, where applicable, family allowances under MSCA rules.

Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, a relevant Master’s degree by enrolment and must meet MSCA Doctoral Networks eligibility conditions, including the mobility rule. English proficiency at C1 level is expected, with C2 preferred. Experience in experimental surgery, large-animal models, histology, immunology, or biomaterials characterisation is advantageous.

Applications must be submitted online by 30 November 2026. Required documents include a CV, motivation letter, copies of degree certificates and transcripts, and contact details for two referees. The motivation letter should also state equivalent research experience and relevant countries of residence over the last three years.