PhD on Learning Soft Matter

14.12., Academic staff

Prof. Karen Alim’s group on Biological Physics at the TUM Campus Garching is looking for an experimental PhD student (m/f/d) to join our team at the TUM on the ERC project Learning Matters!.

Task

You will implement learning mechanics in soft matter, specifically in biocompatible hydrogels. Your hydrogels will form the walls of a synthetic vein network that can be trained for transport, thus paving the way for robust vein networks in synthetic organs. To learn, your hydrogel will exhibit two mechanical properties: First, flow shear adaptation, where the hydrogel channels dilate and shrink in response to flow shear – just like real veins. Second, training with chemicals: When a chemical flows through the hydrogel channel, it permanently softens the material, imprinting wider channels, thus training specific flow patterns into your vein network. You will embed lear...