PhD Position: Development of Magnesium-based Biodegradable Microdevices for Drug Delivery
Politecnico di Milano is offering a fully funded PhD position in the Mechanical Engineering Department within the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Networks project
MicroMan4Health
(Data-Centric Micromanufacturing Platform Towards Added Value in the Health Sector).
The project focuses on the
development of magnesium-based biodegradable microdevices for intraocular drug delivery
. The doctoral research aims to create a fully digitalised and traceable process chain for manufacturing these micro-carriers, including process tolerance definition, workflow mapping, process-planning ontology development, and IIoT-based traceability aligned with Digital Product Passport requirements.
The host institution, Politecnico di Milano, provides a strong environment in advanced manufacturing and smart manufacturing systems, with access to state-of-the-art microfabrication and metrology facilities. The research is highly interdisciplinary and connects biomedical engineering, precision/micro manufacturing, digital manufacturing, data-driven quality control, and bio-metrology.
Industrial and academic relevance is reinforced through secondments with
MgShell
(industrial process definition), the
University of Huddersfield
(bio-metrological verification), and
KU Leuven
(microfabrication process-chain analysis). The role includes international doctoral training, hands-on experimental work, and collaboration in a multidisciplinary team.
Applicants should hold or be close to completing a Master’s degree in biomedical engineering or a closely related field, with very good results. Strong interest and experience in advanced/micro manufacturing, digital manufacturing workflows, quality assurance, machine learning, ontologies, knowledge graphs, IIoT, digital twins, metrology, and programming are expected. Excellent English and proof through TOEFL or IELTS are required.
This is a 36-month funded PhD position under MSCA Doctoral Network rules, with remuneration competitive across Italy and Europe. The planned start date is 1 October or November 2026, with some flexibility depending on funding availability.
Application deadline:
25 August 2026
. To apply, complete the online form and submit a single PDF application package including all required documents.